Jose Gimenez claimed a refereeing mistake proved to be the turning point in Arsenal’s 4-0 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid.
A second half onslaught saw the Gunners strike four times in the space of 14 blistering minutes, as Mikel Arteta’s team romped to a win that cemented their place in the automatic Champions League qualifying spots.
Arsenal were forced to bide their time and wait for a breakthrough against Diego Simeone’s canny outfit who had started the second period in the ascendancy and were close to taking the lead when Julian Alvarez’s long-range strike rattled the crossbar.
It was shortly after that reprieve that the home team opened the scoring when Gabriel Magalhaes powered home Declan Rice’s perfectly flighted in-swinging set-piece.
Gimenez, however, argued that referee David Massa should never have awarded Arsenal a free kick in the first place when Gabriel Martinelli tumbled under what the defender argued was minimal pressure.
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He said: ‘It was a controlled game, but we struggled to play because they press very well, they always play one-on-one, and we couldn’t find the connections.
‘We struggled to play, to get out of the back with the ball clean. Credit to them. We have to focus on ourselves and improve for what’s coming next. The goal came from a foul that wasn’t a foul.
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‘The 1-0 left us feeling weak, and with the second goal, it was another desperate game, and we couldn’t find our feet.’
He added: ‘We’re playing in the Champions League, there are situations that make or break matches, and these kinds of details in such close games are decided by small details.
‘It’s not exactly my responsibility, but it has more influence than you might imagine.’
Will Arsenal win the Champions League this season?
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Yes
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No
Atletico skipper Koke echoed those sentiments and claimed his side were in control of the game when Arsenal broke the deadlock against the run of place.
He said: ‘We had the game under control, but they made it 1-0 from a set piece.
‘We could have tied it with Julián’s chance, and in three plays they scored the next three goals. We had more control in the second half than in the first, and they hurt us more.’
On the threat of Arsenal from dead ball situations, he added: ‘They have very big players and good strikers, they hurt us.’