Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk has stated that he feels Arsenal were lucky to have been awarded a penalty in their Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The Gunners got out of jail late in the 2-1 victory over the Saints, with the referee awarding the North London hosts a spot kick in injury time.
Spanish playmaker Santi Cazorla duly stepped up and slotted home from 12 yards, sending the Arsenal fans into rapture and confirming an invaluable three points for Arsene Wenger’s men.
Van Dijk has stated that the Gunners rode their luck with the award of the penalty and that neither side knew what was happening initially.
“It was pretty strange and there were players on our side who were also looking a bit confused,” he told The Daily Echo.
“Giroud was saying there was contact from both and it can’t be a penalty. It’s a big decision in the last minute of the game. It’s not in our favour and it hurts.
“I’m a winner and I want to win obviously and to lose like this is hard. We need to blame ourselves because we had the opportunities and we should have done better.”
Arsenal will look to take the momentum from back-to-back Premier League wins over Watford and Southampton into their first European clash on Tuesday night.
Wenger’s men travel to face Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes in Group A.
