Mikel Arteta sent warning after Arsenal outburst vs Nottm Forest - 'Be careful'

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Steven Gerrard told Mikel Arteta he was "clutching at straws" with his penalty claim in Arsenal’s draw with Nottingham Forest . The Premier League leaders were held to a goalless draw at the City Ground on Saturday as they failed to take advantage of Manchester City 's defeat earlier in the day.

Arsenal thought they were deserving of a penalty in the Midlands after an apparent handball from Ola Aina. Gunners boss Arteta believed the decision was "very clear" , albeit neither the referee nor VAR agreed.

Speaking after the draw, former Liverpool star Steven Gerrard has suggested that Arteta needed to focus on his side's finishing and not their failure to earn a penalty.

"I think there's a shout there, I don't think it's as clear as Mikel Arteta is saying, I don't think it's blatant and clear, especially in real time from the referee's point of view," he said on TNT Sport.

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"I think you've got to be careful that you're not clutching at straws a little bit because that's not the reason why they haven't got maximum points today. The reason is because they were very wasteful in the first half and the keeper has made a world-class save.

"I thought Arsenal's performance was good today, they controlled large parts of the game, created enough chances to win the game. But I think if the focus from an Arsenal point of view is just on that [handball] decision, I think they're clutching at straws.

"As I say, they've controlled large parts, it was a decent performance from Arsenal today, it just lacked that killer instinct.

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"I think it's the Martinelli chance, the one that hits him on the heel, that's a sidefoot pass into the far corner, I think nine times out of 10, most players at an Arsenal level, should be taking that chance, that should've been a goal.

"Then they maybe would have gone on to more things because Forest would have had to come out of a low block and be a bit more adventurous. While the game is 0-0, it allows Sean Dyche and his team to stay in and take the space away from Arsenal."

The north London side pause their Premier League commitments midweek as they travel to Italian giants Inter Milan in the Champions League . They then welcome Manchester United to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

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