Arsenal were left outraged by two contentious VAR calls that went against them
Another heated moment from Arsenal's first leg draw against Atletico Madrid has come to light after Declan Rice and Gabriel were seen rowing with a home player. Two VAR decisions went against the Gunners after Ben White was deemed to have handled Marcos Llorente's volley, with Julian Alvarez slotting home the resulting spot-kick to equalise Viktor Gyokeres' opener, also a penalty.
Arsenal then saw referee Danny Makkelie reverse his own call to award the visitors a late penalty when Eberechi Eze was brought down in the box. With 70,000 whistling Atleti supporters as the backdrop, Makkelie reviewed the incident 13 times before overturning his initial decision.
Footage of the players waiting for the verdict has circulated on social media, showing Rice and Gabriel engaged in a fiery exchange with Atletico substitute goalkeeper Juan Musso.
Rice believed the Dutch official buckled under pressure from the hostile home crowd. He said: "It's a clear penalty. And I don't know how that's not been given.
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"I think the fans provoked the decision and changed the ref's mind. UEFA is totally different [to the Premier League]. In both boxes, you have to be so careful because they give absolutely everything."
He added: "At first glance, I thought if that's in the Premier League, it doesn't get given because it's so low to the ground. The ball's not going on target.
"In the Champions League, referees are really quick to make decisions, and to blow their whistle, and you can't do much about it. I feel like they penalise you more in European competitions."
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was equally furious. He said: "What I'm incredibly fuming with is how the hell the penalty on Eze gets overturned in the manner that it happened when there is no clear and obvious error?
"And this changes the course of the game. And at this level, I'm sorry but this cannot happen. When a referee has to watch it 13 times, what is clear about that? It's impossible and we are all fuming about it. We need to apply the rules."
Tensions also spilt over after the final whistle, with White embroiled in a tunnel confrontation with Diego Simeone after apparently angering home players by treading on the club badge on the side of the pitch. White was challenged by Giuliano Simeone, the manager's son, who gestured towards the large crest White had walked across as he headed down the tunnel.
Video footage released by Marca shows the two men in a heated exchange before Diego Simeone steps in to pull Giuliano away. White then turned his attention to the Atletico boss as both parties made their way down the tunnel, with staff members from each club rushing to intervene.