Referee Stuart Atwell initially allowed Gordon's close-range strike to stand before the incident was subject to review. Joe Willock was deemed to have kept the ball in play, while Gordon was not found to be offside after the ball dropped to him in the six-yard box.
Atwell also did not judge Joelinton to have fouled Gabriel at the far post after David Raya missed the cross, with Arsenal's unbeaten start to the Premier League coming to an end on Tyneside. Arteta slammed the decision as both 'embarrassing' and 'disgraceful' in his post-match interview and press conference, and now the club have released a statement doubling down on their head coach's stance.
The statement reads: "Arsenal Football Club wholeheartedly supports Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors on Saturday evening. We’d also like to acknowledge the huge effort and performance from our players and travelling supporters at St James’ Park.
"The Premier League is the best league in the world with the best players, coaches and supporters, all of whom deserve better. PGMOL urgently needs to address the standard of officiating and focus on action which moves us all on from retrospective analysis, attempted explanations and apologies.
"We support the ongoing efforts of Chief Refereeing Officer, Howard Webb and would welcome working together to achieve the world-class officiating standards our league demands."
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