Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho criticised Michael Oliver for his decision to give Arsenal a second-half spot kick that saw Alexandre Lacazette slot home the winner in the north London derby.
Spurs took the lead despite a below-par display in the first period, Erik Lamela producing an impudent rabona in the box to beat Bernd Leno after Emile Smith Rowe had hit the bar earlier in the contest.
Cedric Soares then saw a strike crash off Hugo Lloris' left-hand post before Martin Odegaard's deflected effort off Toby Alderweireld left the tie fascinatingly poised going into the break.
The controversy occurred midway through the second period when Lacazette latched onto a fizzed pass from Nicolas Pepe and was brought down by a sliding Davinson Sanchez after the Frenchman had already swung at the ball with his left foot and missed.
Substitute Lamela then went from hero to zero, receiving a second yellow card for pushing his right hand into the face of Kieran Tierney as Arsenal held out for a 2-1 victory.
However, that key penalty decision was the real bone of contention for Mourinho, who suggested Oliver might be suffering from fatigue having refereed the Europa League clash between Dynamo Kiev and Villarreal on Thursday night.
'What I see from the bench I just had a feeling, I am 40-50 metres away. I've seen it back, I watched it immediately on the ipad,' he said.
'Referees have quite a difficult job sometimes. I didn't complain as he's closer than me, but when I watch on the ipad, it is what it is.
'If somebody has a different opinion, it has to be one of the big Arsenal fans with the season ticket. That's the only one I'd accept a different view because that's the passion speaking.
'Apart from that, I wouldn't accept anyone has a different view because it's too obvious.
'I'm as guilty for that first half as the players. The good thing is we improved in the second half. We made the changes to give what would improve the team, which it did with even ten men.
'But then it's a penalty that was a mistake by Michael Oliver. Players get tired after so many matches, coaches get tired, maybe the referees get tired.
'He had a game mid-week Champions League or Europa League, maybe tired and normally I'm very unlucky with him because my record with him on penalties is astonishing. Chelsea, United, Tottenham. It doesn't matter the club, I am very unlucky with such a good referee.'
Mourinho also aired his grievances about the lack of media accountability for referees, but admitted his side had been well off the pace in the first half and were lucky to reach half time all-square.
'No post-match interviews for referee,' he laughed. 'Well, I think we played really bad in the first half. 1-1 was not a fair reflection of the first half. We were poor. Defending bad, no intensity or pressing.
'Even in terms of creating attacking football, (we had) some important players hiding.
'In the second half we only had space to improve, which we did, and then it's a question, but an impossible question as they don't speak, a question for Michael to answer. Probably Paul Tierney too as he was the VAR.
'According to Kevin Friend, the referee told me he had a clear vision and the VAR didn't want to go against it.
'But second half was under control, we recovered what we lost in the first half. We made changes to try and win it and then it's a penalty.
'After the penalty a second yellow for Lamela, but even so the team in the last 20 minutes, we did what we could and tried to get a result.'
The defeat was Mourinho's ninth league reverse this season, the joint-most in his career in a single campaign.
Spurs now need to pick themselves up for successive trips to Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday and Aston Villa next Sunday in the Europa League and Premier League respectively before the international break.
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Smith Rowe vs Doherty today.