Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's coach, strongly criticized the decision to award a penalty kick to the home team, Sunderland, during his team's 2-0 win yesterday (Saturday) in the English Premier League, stressing that such decisions could change the course of the season.
The referee awarded a penalty kick to Sunderland in the second half of the match, which was held at the Stadium of Light, after Ezri Konsa brought down Arsenal player Dan Ballard inside the penalty area.
The score was a goalless draw at the time, but Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya saved Enzo Lo Ve's penalty kick.
Although Arsenal was eventually able to achieve victory, Arteta remained angry at the decision to award the kick, and told the TNT Sports network after the match: “This is unacceptable, and it may change the course of the season and the tournament.”
The decision comes in light of new instructions for referees to be strict in dealing with violations inside the penalty area, while the English Premier League confirmed that the penalty kick was awarded because Konsa caught Ballard.
Arteta said that he watched the incident 10 times to make sure his impression was correct, adding: “I watched it live, and I said that at this level there could not be a penalty kick. “I spent about 27 or 28 years in football, and it is not a penalty kick in any way, in any match, in any context, in any league.”
Just two minutes after Raya blocked Le Vie's kick, Bruno Guimarães put Arsenal ahead, before Bukayo Saka sealed the win with a penalty kick in stoppage time.
Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka vowed to come back stronger after a disappointing season that ended without a major title after Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina prevented her from winning the US Open title, the last of the four major tennis tournaments, for the third time in a row when she beat her on Saturday in the final match, and two days earlier removed her from the top of the world rankings after 99 consecutive weeks at the top.
The 28-year-old Belarusian said: “I think I should be generally happy with the level I presented, and there are a lot of positive things that can be extracted from this tournament,” after she seemed able to actually save her season in the major tournaments before she collided with Rybakina.
Rybakina had already secured her top spot in the world rankings before Saturday's final, beating Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in a dominant performance.
The loss was a huge disappointment for Sabalenka, who appeared to be at the peak of her strong level when she defeated American Jessica Pegula, fourth in the world, in the semi-finals.
But she will end the year without any major championship title for the first time since 2022.
She lost to Rybakina in the final of the Australian Open, then was eliminated from Roland Garros in the quarter-finals, before being eliminated in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
In fact, everything has seemed uphill for Sabalenka since she won the prestigious double in Indian Wells and Miami in March.
She added: “As experiences have proven, I always come back stronger, and all the lessons I learned this season have already made me stronger, but they will certainly give me greater motivation to perform better next year.”
Sabalenka expressed her gratitude for the support she received from the fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium, who supported her strongly when she came back in the score and clinched the second set against Rybakina, and continued to encourage her even as victory eluded her in the deciding set.
“It was a wonderful feeling,” she said. At some point, I felt like an American,” she said, adding, “I just wish I had won the title to feel that support more.”
Despite the defeat and loss of the top spot in the rankings, Sabalenka confirmed that she does not believe that her competitors’ view of her will change much, and she said: “When you go on the field, you are always a target for competitions, whether you are ranked first, second, third, fourth, or any other position.”
She added: “I will continue to work hard and improve my level of tennis.” “I hope to win more titles.”
She also expressed her pride in the period she spent at the top of the world rankings, as she occupied first place for a total period of 107 weeks, including 99 consecutive weeks ending tomorrow, Monday. She said: “Ninety-nine weeks? This is amazing,” she concluded jokingly, “Let’s see if Elena is able to break this number.”
Kazakhstan's Yelena Rybakina ousted Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka from the throne of the US Open tennis championship, after defeating her 6/4, 5/7, 6/2 in the final at dawn on Sunday, depriving her of winning the title for the third time in a row.
Sabalenka, who won the title in the past two editions, appeared in a state of tension and frustration throughout the match, which lasted two hours and 21 minutes. She committed 35 unjustified errors, and she also took out her anger on her rackets more than once, after she hit one of the balls into the stands and received a warning, before smashing a racket after the match ended.
“I just wanted to take out all that anger and frustration on the court,” Sabalenka said. "It's very difficult to control your emotions when you lose a Grand Slam final, especially when you're chasing a third title in a row, so I just wanted to get it all out."
Sabalenka, who maintained the top spot in the world rankings for 99 consecutive weeks, played her fourth consecutive final in Flushing Meadows, but was unable to impose her style against Rybakina, who won the first set 6/4.
Sabalenka responded strongly in the second set and won it 7/5, but Rybakina regained control in the deciding set, winning it 6/2 to seal the title.
Sabalenka admitted that she did not perform at the level she expected of herself, and said: “I was hoping to perform a little better, but maybe that will be next year.” “I am not happy with the level I performed.”
Despite the loss, Sabalenka enjoyed great support from the fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium, unlike the 2023 final, when she lost to American Coco Gauff amid large crowd support for her opponent.
The Belarusian player said: “At some point I felt like an American.” “I was just hoping to win and feel more supported.”
Sabalenka ends the season without winning any title in the four major tournaments for the first time since 2022, but she confirmed that she will benefit from her experience in the tournament and will continue to work to come back stronger.
She said: “I will continue to work hard and develop my level.” There are many things that can be learned from this tournament. As experience shows, I always come back stronger, and all these lessons I learned this season have already made me stronger, and will certainly motivate me to perform better next year.”
