Slavia Prague player reveals what the referee told him after Arsenal’s overturned penalty decision
Arsenal’s clean sheet record was under threat in the Champions League after Slavia Prague were awarded a penalty.
The Gunners arrived in the 86th minute without conceding, but Mikel Arteta’s record was under threat when Aliyar Aghayev pointed from the point.
Ben White’s high boot appeared to collide with Lukas Provod, prompting Aghayev to award a penalty, which was later verified by VAR.
Fortunately, the penalty was overturned after review, much to the relief of the Gunners, who equaled a 122-year-old record by finishing the match with another clean sheet.
What the referee told Slavia Prague’s Lukas Provod about his overturned penalty against Arsenal
It’s been nine games since Arsenal last conceded a goal in all competitions, a scene fans could have dreamed of only a few years ago.
The record was almost threatened when Aghayev awarded Slavia a penalty, and after some confusion over the infraction, it was revealed why the penalty was overturned.
Speaking to the media after the match, relayed by Czech media iSport, Provod, a victim of the situation, shared what the referee told him after the final decision.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Provod said when asked if he thought the referee would overturn the penalty.
“I felt contact with the opponent’s shoe, that’s why I fell to the ground. I had no idea who was playing the ball. Him or me.
“I was just waiting for the referee to assess it. He told me the Arsenal defender played the ball cleanly.”
At first glance, White was considered the perpetrator of the crime, but upon examination, the Englishman’s blushes were spared.
Arsenal’s defensive record in their previous five matches
For many fans watching, the thought of conceding a goal was a nightmare, which says a lot about how good Arsenal are right now.
With four minutes to go the game was won, but the clean sheet was within reach, so it was a big relief to see the penalty ruled out.
| Ohparticipant | Shots on target conceded |
| Slavia Prague | 1 |
| Burnley | 0 |
| Brighton | 6 |
| Crystal Palace | 1 |
| Atletico Madrid | 1 |
A penalty would have been Slavia’s best chance to score, as in 90 minutes the Czech team only managed one shot on target.
This means that in their previous five games in all competitions, Arsenal have conceded just nine shots on target, including six against Brighton in the Carabao Cup.
That was not to be the case for Slavia Prague that evening, with Provod conceding and being denied a penalty.