'Hit me' - Joao Pedro weighs in on penalty debate after Brighton earn draw against Arsenal

Albion striker Joao Pedro went down in the box after a clash of heads with William Saliba around the hour mark. The Brazilian stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick – and he made no mistake.

Some are saying it was ‘stonewall’ whilst others have said it’s the first time they’ve seen a penalty given for a ‘head clash’.

Mikel Arteta was furious after the ‘bizarre’ decision.

He told BBC Sport: "We are really disappointed with the decision that leads to the goal because I have never seen something like this in my life.”

Fabian Hurzeler, meanwhile, said it was a blatant penalty.

He added: “It was a clear penalty. It is head-to-head but if it is another piece of the body, everybody would say it was a penalty. Joao Pedro places the ball with his head and Saliba comes to late, therefore it was a clear one."

Pedro was also asked about the decision.

He told Sky Sports: “I tried to control the ball and then [Saliba] hit me. It’s good that I scored. I always try to be positive with goals and assists. I like the feeling [of scoring] and hopefully I’ll score more.

"We started the game well. We could have won but got a point. We need to look forward.

“We conceded in the first half but knew we could win this game. We tried to score at the beginning of the second half. We wanted to win.”