Arsene Wenger Laments Another 'Farcical' Refereeing Decision After Chelsea Draw
Arsene Wenger labeled the decision to award Eden Hazard the penalty which led to Chelsea's equalizer as 'farcical', believing his side to be the victims of the latest in a long line of contentious refereeing calls.
Before the penalty, Arsenal had the lion's share of possession and seemed poised to build on their lead in an effort to take all three points.
Talking to Sky Sports after the game, the Frenchman praised the standard of play, remarking: "It was a fantastic football game. Overall I believe it could have gone both ways, the regret we have is that we were first on the scoring sheet."
Jack Wilshere gave the home side the lead, before Anthony Taylor made the call to penalize Hector Bellerin's challenge on Hazard inside the penalty area.
When asked about the decision, Wenger said: "After that, we got again a farcical decision and mentally we were shocked. Then we could have lost the game but we had the resources to come back, and in the end maybe it's a fair result."
"When you come here you see football, and unfortunately the games are always spoiled by factors you can't master. We can only continue to play the way we want to play, and hope at one stage things will go for us."
The Arsenal boss is no stranger to run-ins with officials, having been the subject of an FA charge relating to his conduct after the New Year's Eve 1-1 draw against West Brom. Wenger added at his post-match press conference that he will contest the charge and "stands by every word."
The Arsenal boss later brought more controversy upon himself with an off-hand comment many perceive to be in bad taste.
According to The Mirror's chief football writer, John Cross on Twitter, when asked what his thoughts would've been had Davide Zappacosta's late effort won the game for Chelsea, Wenger quipped that he would have "probably gone home and committed suicide."
The 68-year-old's remarks, while obviously meant in jest, are perhaps not appropriate and becoming of the Premier League's longest-serving manager, especially just days after being cautioned for a separate incident.
The hard-fought point leaves Arsenal in sixth, five points off the pace in the race for the Champions League places, and with plenty of work to do to finish in the top four.
