UEFA Champions League final: ‘Gutted’ Declan Rice, Mikel Arteta react to ‘clumsy’ tackle on Noni Madueke – but was it a penalty?

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Arsenal might feel aggrieved they did not get a penalty in the first half of extra time of their UEFA Champions League final meeting with Paris-Saint Germain in Budapest on Saturday.

Watch: Arsenal LIVID as Madueke denied penalty, Arteta & Rice booked

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Noni Madueke, who had come on for Bukayo Saka, attempted to circumvent Nuno Mendes on the outside before the PSG left-back tangled with the Arsenal winger, causing them both to fall to the floor.

Madueke was left on the turf protesting with his arms wide open, while Declan Rice looked incredulous that a penalty had not been given by referee Daniel Siebert.

"Declan Rice is going mad at the referee. He's convinced it's a penalty," Darren Fletcher said on TNT Sports commentary.

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TNT Sports pundit Ally McCoist added: "You should look at the bench. The bench are going crazy."

As the play continued, Rice questioned Siebert, eventually earning himself a booking for his protestations. Manager Mikel Arteta was also shown a yellow card for his complaints.

And after a few minutes, the video assistant referee decided the incident was not worthy of a second look, much to the dismay of Arsenal and their bench.

TNT Sports pundit Steven Gerrard described Mendes' challenge as "clumsy at best".

PSG had already been awarded a penalty after Cristhian Mosquera had felled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the box, with Ousmane Dembele stepping up to convert.

Arsenal would go on to lose to PSG in a penalty shoot-out, and afterwards, Arteta said he had rewatched the Madueke incident and thought it could "easily be a penalty."

"Basically, we see the penalties they have given in the competition this season," Arteta told TNT Sports. "The referee has made that decision but he made a different one with Mosquera. That's an important one."

For Rice, who converted his effort in the shoot-out, he said he was "gutted" at the time when a penalty was not awarded for the tackle on Madueke.

"I've not seen it back yet. At first glance on the pitch, I thought Noni was ahead of Nuno Mendes," he said. "And looking back at the one we got against Bayer Leverkusen, it was very, very similar.

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"I'm not going to get into it now. Obviously I was gutted at the time because I thought the ref would go and have a look. But it was obviously not clear enough to be a penalty and I thought it was and so did our bench and so did our players."

The England international added that Arsenal had to remain focussed to keep PSG at bay for 120 minutes in the Puskas Arena.

"I'm sure a lot of people wanted a game how Bayern played them, but if we had gone out and played like that, that's what they want," he said.

"So you've got to be really resilient, really switched on, lots of communication. And I thought as the game went on we grew into it and created a number of chances."

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Should PSG have had another penalty?

PSG also might feel aggrieved they did not get another penalty in the final against Arsenal, this one coming in the first half.

The French side went behind to an early Kai Havertz strike as the German rifled past Matvey Safonov from a tight angle.

PSG dominated proceedings after going behind but struggled to punch a hole in the steadfast Arsenal backline.

However, the Ligue 1 giants felt they should have had a penalty just 10 minutes after Havertz's opener.

Saka went to clear a PSG corner, but missed his kick completely.

The ball then struck his chest and his arm, but the Parisian protests were waved away by Siebert.

"Yeah it hits his right arm, probably hits his left too," McCoist said at the time.

Watch: Did Arsenal get away with one with Saka 'handball'?

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And at half-time, the TNT Sports punditry team were asked whether they felt PSG should have been awarded a penalty in the early exchanges of Saturday's final.

"No. I think the referee has got a fantastic view of it," Martin Keown said after viewing the replay.

"We have seen penalties given for it this season, in the Champions League particularly, for less than that.

"He just throws an arm at it, and it wouldn't be in the spirit to award a penalty for that."

Luton Town head coach and former Gunners star Jack Wilshere echoed Keown's sentiments, adding: "You don't want to see them given. Not a penalty for me."

'I don't want to see pens given for that'

McCoist and Gerrard were asked by Fletcher whether the referee should have blown for a spot kick.

"No, it's not a penalty for me," McCoist said.

"I think it's accidental and Arsenal don't get any advantage at all.

"PSG wouldn't have got any advantage had his arm not been there. You don't want to see penalties being given for that."

Watch: Arsenal HEARTBREAK as PSG win UCL final after Gabriel miss

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Gerrard, meanwhile, said: "Even from a biased Liverpudlian, I don't think that's a pen. I don't want to see pens given for that."

PSG benefitted from a questionable handball decision in the semi-final, first leg win over Bayern Munich last month.

Alphonso Davies was adjudged to have handled an Ousmane Dembele cross, with the Frenchman duly dispatching from 12 yards to put PSG 4-2 up on the night on their way to a 5-4 home victory.

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