The decision to award a penalty has been explained by the - but that hasn't stopped criticism from some fans.

's men were a goal to good through Ethan Nwaneri when Brighton were awarded a spot-kick following a clash of heads between and Joao Pedro in the penalty area, which the latter coolly dispatched.

The decision seemed to split opinion online with some fans reacting negatively. But the call was double checked by VAR with the Premier League confirming in a statement that there was sufficient contact between Saliba and Pedro to warrant a penalty.

Their statement read: “The referee’s call of penalty for a foul by Saliba on João Pedro was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed there was sufficient contact for a penalty.”

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Former Arsenal defender Matt Upson agreed with the call on Radio 5 Live, though he recognised that the clash of heads was purely accidental.

He said: “A clash of heads. It's an interesting one. How often do you see a penalty given away for an accidental headbutt?

“It's a penalty, I suppose.”

Some Arsenal fans felt differently, though. One user on X shared a clip of the incident and said: “In what is this a penalty against Saliba????”

Arsenal's draw means they are now five points behind in the race for the Premier League title. 's side have two games in hand, though, and could pull eight points clear with a win over on Sunday.

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