Ashley Williams is right, PGMOL have set dangerous precedent with Arsenal vs Sunderland controversy

Ashley Williams believes that the PGMOL have set a dangerous precedent by awarding a penalty to Sunderland in their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday night.

The Gunners claimed all three points on Wearside in the second half through Bruno Guimaraes and a Bukayo Saka penalty, but not before the hosts saw Enzo Le Fee miss from the spot.

The Frenchman saw his low penalty expertly saved by visiting goalkeeper David Raya, but there was major controversy about the decision to award the kick.

Sunderland centre-back Dan Ballard grappled with Ezri Konsa at the near post following a Black Cats' corner, with referee John Brooks deeming the latter to have hauled the former over.

However, replays showed that Ballard may have been the man to initiate the foul, in an incident that has had both sets of fans debating.

Ultimately, Le Fee's miss from the spot meant that Brooks' call didn't change the course of the game, but had things been different, it could easily have affected the result.

Ashley Williams blames Dan Ballard for Ezri Konsa incident

Brooks' call has caused plenty of controversy, but on Match of the Day on Saturday night, former Wales defender Ashley Williams was in no doubt that it shouldn't have been given.

"He (Brooks) has got it completely wrong. Konsa's left shoulder has been pulled down by Ballard, it spins him around, and he obviously lands on top of Ballard," he said.

"Konsa can't do anything about it. In no way is it a penalty; if anything, this has to be a foul the other way. Now what we're going to start to see is players doing this all the time.

"Now they've given that penalty, they've set themselves up; they have to be consistent and give that every week."

Williams is correct in his assessment of the incident, and even more so that the PGMOL have now set a dangerous precedent for themselves by allowing the incident to be deemed a penalty.

Players at the top level frequently try to gain an advantage in any way possible, and with this now ticking the box as a penalty, it is sure to be a controversy that is repeated several times throughout the campaign.

'Exceptional' Arsenal star hailed for Sunderland heroics

Former Tottenham manager Thomas Frank was quick to heap priase on Raya after he made an "exceptional" save to keep out Le Fee's penalty on Saturday.

The Danish boss spent five years working with the gloveman during their time together at Brentford, and he knows his game inside out.

Frank made it clear that Raya's shot-stopping ability, alongside both his throwing and his kicking make him a truly elite goalkeeper, and arguably one of the best in the world.

Arsenal relied on him to keep them in the game at the Stadium of Light, before their quality eventually told as the match wore on.