Champions draw as ref takes centre stage
CHAMPIONS Leicester collected their first point of the new campaign but were left feeling that referee Mark Clattenburg had not done their team any favours against a powder-puff Arsenal.
Clattenburg failed to send off Gunners midfielder Francis Coquelin in 55 minutes after he brought down Riyad Mahrez on the edge of the box when he had already been booked.
And midfielder Danny Drinkwater felt he should have had a penalty in the first half when Laurent Koscielny made a lastditch tackle, though replays showed the Arsenal defender had got the ball.
LEICESTER 0 ARSENAL 0
Substitute Ahmed Musa also had a loud appeal waved away when he went down in the box two minutes from the end.
The result left both sides still searching for their first win. And if that hurt Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, he would have been equally frustrated to see Jamie Vardy and Mahrez line up in blue yesterday.
Wenger looked likely to sign both players at one stage during the summer but they eventually agreed new Foxes contracts instead.
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri refused to criticise Clattenburg afterwards. ‘A penalty is when the referee whistles,’ the Italian said. ‘I don’t want to speak about decisions.
‘The manager makes mistakes, the referee makes mistakes, the players make mistakes. It was a good match; that’s it for me.
‘They kept more possession but we created a lot more clear chances. They were dangerous but not with the clear chances.
‘I’m very proud of my players because they fight so well.’
Gunners boss Wenger could not fault the commitment of his players and was pleased to keep a clean sheet after conceding four at home to Liverpool last weekend.
‘I wanted to win the game,’ he said. ‘It was a game of high intensity where both teams gave absolutely everything.
‘I believe when you conceded four goals last week, we have shown a great defensive performance and overall we created chances to win it.
‘But you could see that they are not champions for no reason.
Speaking about the potential penalties, Wenger added: ‘It’s very difficult to know. You have to watch it again in slow motion and see what really happened.’