Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta questioned a decision by match officials, saying Ivan Toney’s equaliser for Brentford in their 1-1 Premier League draw on Saturday should have been ruled out for offside.

Arsenal’s new signing Leandro Trossard scored his first goal for the league leaders but the north London club were left frustrated as Toney levelled after nodding home Christian Norgaard’s cross.

The equaliser cleared a lengthy VAR check but Arteta felt it should have been disallowed because Ethan Pinnock appeared to be offside while blocking Gabriel Magalhaes as a free-kick was delivered into the area for Toney to volley back across goal.

“I just looked back and it is offside, yes,” Arteta told a news conference. “Have they explained why it wasn’t allowed? No. It is frustrating but they will probably give an explanation later in the week. Today we haven’t got one.

“You have to apply certain principles in defending and you do that by sticking to the rules. Suddenly you change the rules and then you have to change your principles.

“So tell us before so then you don’t hold the (defensive) line that high. Because you’re always going to have an advantage if you get blocked. You cannot block if you are offside.”

There was also a suggestion that Norgaard was offside before he made the assist but that did not appear to be proven.

Saints fire manager

London: Southampton parted ways with manager Nathan Jones on Sunday after the Welshman won just one Premier League game during his three-month tenure to leave the south-coast club rooted at the bottom of the standings.

Jones is the second Saints manager to lose his job this season after the former Luton Town boss was appointed in November as Ralph Hasenhuettl’s replacement a few days before the World Cup break.

While the Saints reached the fifth round of the FA Cup and the semi-finals of the League Cup after beating Manchester City, the club failed to get out of the relegation zone in the league.

“Southampton Football Club can confirm it has parted company with men’s first team manager Nathan Jones. First team coaches Chris Cohen and Alan Sheehan have also left the club,” the club said in a statement.

In Jones’s eight league games in charge, Southampton’s sole victory came against Everton while they lost the other seven matches.

Reuters