The refereeing and VAR once again took center stage in the Premier League as champions Arsenal overcame Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was clearly displeased with the officiating in his side's 2-0 win, as he openly revealed his displeasure with some of the decisions against his team.

The Spaniard described a second-half penalty awarded against Ezri Konsa as "unacceptable" and revealed that he was pleased with the eventual outcome, even if he remains worried about the call from the referees.

"IT'S NOT POSSIBLE AT THIS LEVEL" - ARTETA SLAMS CONTROVERSIAL CALL

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had very strong words for the officiating in their Premier League clash against Sunderland.

His reservation was with the penalty awarded to the Black Cats in the second half while the game was still goalless.

Arteta told TNT Sports after the game that he was upset with the referee's decision to award a penalty.

He argued that the penalty should never have been awarded or cleared to stand in a game at this level.

“I’m so upset, it’s unacceptable.

It’s not possible at this level that it’s a penalty because it’s a judo role. I’m so pleased in one sense and so worried in another," he said.

BREAKING DOWN THE CONTROVERSIAL CALL

Arsenal and Sunderland were neck-and-neck in their meeting at the Stadium of Light when referee David Brooks made a hugely controversial call just ten minutes into the second half.

From a Sunderland long throw, Konsa and Dan Ballard grappled in the box, with the Sunderland man ending up on the deck.

Brooks had been watching the situation closely, and immediately whistled and pointed to the spot for a penalty to the home side.

The Arsenal players were incredulous and protested the decision, but the referee's on-pitch decision was backed by the VAR, and the call stood.

Gunners goalkeeper David Raya was the hero, as he dived to his left to palm Enzo Le Fee's well-struck effort onto the woodwork, keeping out the penalty.

GUIMARAES WONDER-STRIKE SETS ARSENAL UP FOR HUGE THREE POINTS

Brazil international Bruno Guimaraes has had a stop-start spell in an Arsenal shirt since completing his £75 million move from Newcastle United this summer.

The 29-year-old started on the bench, with Arteta preferring to have Myles Lewis-Skelly and Declan Rice play behind Martin Odegaard in midfield.

With the game tied at half-time, Arteta introduced the former Newcastle man off the bench, replacing Lewis-Skelly.

Just two minutes after Raya's penalty save, Guimaraes produced a moment of pure class, as he found the top corner from outside the box via the underside of the crossbar.

The Gunners were forced to defend resolutely after taking the lead, and they were rewarded with a second goal in the closing stages of the clash.

With the Sunderland structure all over the place as they pushed for an equaliser, Guimaraes' quick pass forward found Saka, who cleverly made his way into the box, where Reinildo Mandava brought him down, earning a second yellow card and a sending off.

Saka dusted himself off before squeezing his penalty beyond the reach of Robin Roefs, securing a fourth straight league win for his side.