The midfield schemer went tumbling down in the second half after being shoved over by Laurent Koscielny for what looked a stonewall spotkick. But Mark Clattenburg waved away the strong claim, leaving Fabregas stunned.
“My opinion, yes it was [a penalty],” Fabregas told Sky Sports’ Geoff Shreeves. “The referee said no so what can I do? It’s not the second, or third time [I’ve not been given a penalty] so I’m not surprised anymore. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s a confidence.”
Graeme Souness, the Sky Sports pundit, could not believe Clattenburg didn’t point to the spot.
“Yes, definitely [it was a pen],” he said. “Koscielny ignores the ball and runs into him. He makes no attempt play the ball and just takes the player out. That’s a penalty.”
Even Thierry Henry, the Arsenal legend, agreed,
“I don’t know why Laurent did that,” he said. “He was frustrated at the way the game was going.”
Fabregas, meanwhile, feels he is slowly approaching peak form.
“I’m nearly there,” he said. “I’m feeling very sharp. My brain is much quicker the last few months. I struggled for little bit. I don’t know why. I feel much more in control and I’m in my best form now over the last year.”
