Arsenal are fined £20,000 by the FA after admitting they breached player conduct rules

Arsenal have been issued with a £20,000 fine by the FA after admitting they breached player conduct rules following their feisty Premier League game against Manchester City on New Year's Day.

Arsenal failed to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 59th minute of their clash with City and have subsequently accepted the 'standard penalty'.

Tempers flared just before the hour mark of the New Year's Day clash at the Emirates after a frantic five minutes saw City equalise from the penalty spot after a controversial VAR review, before Nathan Ake heroically cleared the ball off the line.

Moments later, Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes cynically fouled City striker Gabriel Jesus on the halfway line and referee Stuart Atwell brandished a second yellow card in the Brazilian's direction, resulting in his sending off.

Arsenal stars were seen swarming the referee following his decision, with emotions running high in north London. City star Rodri bagged a last-gasp winner to take all three points for the league leaders.

As a result, the FA charged the Gunners with a breach of its rules relating to player conduct and gave Mikel Arteta's side until Friday to respond.

Arsenal have since admitted to a breach of FA Rule E20.1 and accepted the standard penalty. Therefore, the FA have issued the club with a £20,000 fine.

A statement from the FA read: 'Arsenal FC has been fined £20,000 after admitting a charge for a breach of FA Rule E20.1 and accepting the standard penalty.

'The club failed to ensure that its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 59th minute of its Premier League fixture against Manchester City FC on Saturday [01/01/22].'

The Gunners bemoaned their lack of fortune following their heartbreaking defeat by Pep Guardiola's side, with goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale expressing his frustrations with 'inconsistent' refereeing decisions.

Arsenal were denied a penalty after Ederson appeared to haul down Martin Odegaard, and Ramsdale questioned why Atwell was not advised to consult the pitchside monitor on that incident.

He told BT Sport: 'I am basing it on both penalties - the inconsistency of going to the screen, the referee might have ruled it out straight away when he looked at it. But it is the fact he went to look at it.

'Both in real time he said no penalty, but only gets told to look at one. Theirs was soft for me but he gets told to look and has given it.

'I am at the other end of the pitch for our penalty shout. The goalkeeper comes out with his foot and he either catches him or the ball. The Bernardo one, he stood him up and it got given. Penalties are penalties, but for us it is getting told to look at the screen.

'Both penalties, I don't know why the referee is told to see one and not the other. It is there for a reason, go and use it. The whole point is to help the game out, in real time it didn't look like one and slow it down on a screen and it is given.'