Mikel Arteta sends fiery warning to Chelsea despite Arsenal losing two in a row

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration over the defeat to Inter Milan, labelling it as “very, very difficult to accept”, but insists the same performance will be good enough to beat Chelsea this weekend.

The Gunners manager was particularly incensed that his team was not awarded a penalty when Mikel Merino appeared to be “punched” in the head by Inter’s goalkeeper.

The contentious moment came just before the break, with Inter being given a dubious penalty when Merino was deemed to have handled the ball, from which Hakan Calhanoglu scored, handing Arsenal their second loss in a short span.

Merino seemed to have little chance of avoiding Mehdi Taremi’s header that led to the handball incident. Earlier in the match, Arsenal felt they had a legitimate penalty appeal after an accidental hit by Yann Sommer on Merino went unpunished.

Post-match, Arteta couldn’t contain his bewilderment: “I don’t understand. There is no danger at all. You cannot react because the ball is very close.

“We were told at the start of the season that wasn’t a penalty. That was clear. Today it was a different story. But OK. They decide that is a penalty.

“But if that is a penalty then the one on Mikel Merino where he punches him in the head has to be a penalty, 1,000 per cent. These are the margins in this game and it’s very, very difficult to accept.

“I am extremely frustrated because these are two decisions that marked the course of the game. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do. We have to accept it and move on.”

In the wake of their defeat at the San Siro and a previous 1-0 loss to Newcastle, Arsenal find themselves trailing Premier League leaders Liverpool by seven points.

Despite dominating the game against a team yet to concede in the Champions League, Arsenal couldn’t score, now sitting 12th in the league of 36 teams.

Arteta is, however, buoyant about his team’s performance: “This is the way I want to see my team. Of all the big games we have played in Europe, this is by far the best one that we have played in the last few years.

“If we play the way we played here we have a good chance to win against Chelsea. I told them I’m proud of them.

“I haven’t seen them play in Europe in the manner they have today. And we are very disappointed because we didn’t get what we wanted out of the game that’s for sure.”

Midfield stalwart Declan Rice’s absence was felt following a foot injury sustained against Newcastle. However, skipper Martin Odegaard returned with a late appearance after a two-month hiatus.

Concern looms over Kai Havertz who is in contention to be fit for Sunday’s clash against Chelsea after suffering a cut to the head, requiring stitches. Arteta addressed Havertz’s situation: “Kai has a big cut,” said Arteta.

“He had to come off because he needed some stitches. Hopefully he will be OK for the weekend.”