Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has pointed to crowd pressure as the decisive factor behind one of the most contentious refereeing decisions of this season’s Champions League, after the Gunners were denied what appeared to be a clear penalty in their 1-1 first leg draw against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano.

The match ended level after Viktor Gyokeres converted a spot kick to put Arsenal ahead in the first half, before Julian Alvarez equalised from the penalty spot after VAR adjudged Ben White’s arm to have been in an unnatural position when struck by a Marcos Llorente shot.

The flashpoint that dominated post match discussion came in the 78th minute when substitute Eberechi Eze, who had come on for Martin Odegaard at the hour mark and looked sharp throughout his cameo, went to ground inside the box after clear foot on foot contact from Atletico defender David Hancko.

Referee Danny Makkelie initially pointed to the spot. The Atletico crowd immediately reacted furiously, and following a VAR review and an on-field monitor check, the decision was overturned.

Rice said it was a clear penalty and stated directly that he believed the noise of the home fans had provoked the decision and changed the referee’s mind, a view that will resonate in football circles well beyond north London given the near universal agreement among observers that contact was made.

Manager Mikel Arteta went further, describing the decision as completely unacceptable and saying that the referee cannot overturn that kind of call after needing to review it 13 times. Arteta said the reversal changes the course of the tie and confirmed he was very, very upset by what had happened.

The decision drew comparisons with a similarly controversial handball ruling against Alphonso Davies in PSG’s win over Bayern Munich in the other semi-final the same evening, raising broader questions about officiating consistency in the knockout rounds.

Rice was named player of the match for a commanding midfield display, completing 83 passes to set the second highest total ever recorded by an English midfielder in a Champions League semi-final, behind only Michael Carrick’s 99 against Schalke in 2011.

Arsenal must now win the second leg at the Emirates Stadium next Tuesday to advance to the final in Budapest on 30 May, where they would face either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain.

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