Peter Walton believes the penalty awarded against Leeds United defender Luke Ayling was the correct decision during the 4-1 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday (1 April).
The 31-year-old was penalized for a first-half challenge on Gunners striker Gabriel Jesus, who subsequently netted from the spot to give Mikel Arteta’s side the lead.
The challenge caused uproar in the BT Sport studio during the match, with Chris Sutton and Robbie Savage firmly believing it was a penalty but former Motherwell defender Stephen Craigan admitting he was in staunch disagreement with the decision.
After the row died down, Walton waded in on the debate and gave his opinion on the controversial incident.
Speaking on BT Sport Score on Saturday (1 April, 3:35 pm), the former FIFA and Premier League official said: “Yes, correct decision.
“What’s happened there is Ayling has bought the dummy from Jesus and gone to ground so early. And it’s his second motion with his leg – he’s left his leg there – which Jesus hits.
“[Stephen Craigan] is saying he’s gone over easy. But it’s a penalty kick. He’s impeded his opponent.”
Blatant
Although Jesus was a little theatrical when he fell to the floor, there was obvious contact from Ayling and in the end, it was the correct decision.
Some may see it as deceit from the Arsenal forward, but minimum contact such as this ending up with a spot-kick has become the norm in the Premier League over the past few years.
But what on earth Ayling was doing is beyond belief.
With the score at 0-0 and Leeds having had the better chances in the opening exchanges, all Javi Gracia’s side needed to do was make it into half-time with the scores level.
However, this moment of madness turned the tide and opened the floodgates for Arsenal to barge through.
As soon as Jesus’ penalty hit the back of the net, all the nerves which Arsenal had exuded in the first half an hour disappeared, and they swiftly returned to the free-flowing football that has seen them climb to the top of the league this campaign.
A moment to forget for Ayling and a day to write off Leeds United in their fight against relegation.
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