West Brom manager Tony Pulis has accused Alexis Sanchez of “cheating” during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over the Baggies in the Premier League.
Referee Bobby Madley also failed to give the Baggies what Pulis felt was a certain penalty for a foul on Jay Rodriguez when the game was goalless.
“In the game’s first free-kick Sanchez dives and should be booked. That’s cheating,” Pulis told Sky Sports.
“Then the tackle in the box on Jay, it is a stonewall penalty.”
Sanchez went down under a challenge from Baggies defender Craig Dawson in the early minutes of the match and Pulis was incensed on the touchline.
Then after seven minutes Rodriguez appeared to be fouled inside the box by Gunners defender Shkodran Mustafi, but Madley did not award a penalty.
The West Brom forward quickly got up and shot, but his effort was brilliantly pushed onto the post by Gunners keeper Petr Cech.
Summarising on BBC Radio 5 live, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown said: “That should have been a penalty. It was a massive let off for Arsenal. Rodriguez was too honest.”
Speaking to the BBC afterwards, Pulis added: “We tell our players not to roll about, he still wanted to score but once he has missed, the referee should pull it back.
“It could be a penalty and they could have a player sent off so we not only score but are against a team down to 10 players.”
Alexandre Lacazette scored twice as Arsenal moved up to seventh in the table, with the Gunners producing a dominant second-half performance.
Wenger admitted West Brom had a strong case for a penalty before Lacazette struck the opener.
“They pushed us very hard, especially in the first half,” said the Frenchman. “They disturbed our build up and played a very dangerous and direct game. In the second half I felt we controlled the game and did not give anything away.
“Would it [the West Brom penalty call] have been given I would not have said it is a scandal.”
Not awarding a penalty to West Brom was one of a number of questionable decisions made in the first-half by Madley, who was at one point during the game the top trend on Twitter in the United Kingdom.
Arsenal, who were awarded a penalty in the second half when Allan Nyom clumsily fouled Aaron Ramsey, also had a case for a spot kick being awarded in the first half when Sanchez appeared to have his shirt tugged by Baggies defender Grzegorz Krychowiak.
After the game, Rodriguez was adamant there had been contact in the box for West Brom’s penalty appeal.
“I went down and expected the foul to be given but it wasn’t so I got back up,” he said. “I wasn’t injured or hurt. For me it was a penalty, sometimes you get them sometimes you don’t.
“I wouldn’t be rolling around trying to get free-kicks. It is one of those things but it is just difficult because if you do get that goal, 1-0 up changes the game.”
