(Football news) Two weeks ago, the Gunners defeated the holders of the Europa League 2-1, and if they beat the Spaniards twice in a row, they might be able to punch their ticket to the knockout stages with two games remaining.

Like many of his Premier League predecessors, Mikel Arteta has unavoidably had some complaints about the quality of officiating throughout the years. However, when his team’s agonizing 11-game unbeaten record in the top flight came to an end, the Arsenal manager unleashed a barrage of stinging attacks.

The Gunners lost to Gordon in a controversial match after a heated first half against Newcastle United in which Havertz and Guimaraes both avoided receiving red cards. The Gordon winner was given after the Stockley Park VAR room made three separate checks for an offside, a foul, and to determine if the ball had left the field.

The words “disgrace,” “sick,” and “embarrassed” were just a few of the ones that an ecstatic Arteta used in a heated post-match press conference. Arsenal also blasted the Premier League’s “unacceptable” refereeing standards, even though the Gunners at St. James’ Park left a lot to be desired and unjustifiably fell asleep as Willock darted across the field to keep Murphy’s shot in play before delivering the game-winning cross.

Arsenal’s loss in the North East caused them to drop to fourth place in the Premier League rankings, but they are comfortably leading their Champions League group with six points, one more than Lens and four ahead of PSV Eindhoven and their next opponents, Sevilla.

The Gunners might be 90 minutes away from securing a spot in the round of sixteen thanks to a masterclass by Gabriel Jesus at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. A win over Sevilla and a win over PSV for Lens would guarantee an early top-two finish for the North London team.

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