'I don't understand the referee!' - Arsene Wenger blasts official after Champions League defeat

After a shocking 2-1 defeat at the hands of Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb in a UEFA Champions League Group F encounter on Wednesday, 16 September, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was highly critical in his assessment of the referee for a slew of controversial decisions throughout the game.

"We were not at our best, but nor was the referee. I believe the first goal is offside and after (that) the sending-off is very harsh," Wenger said, referring to Dinamo's first goal, and the red card shown to Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud.

Playing away from home in Zagreb, the Gunners were pegged back early on when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain inadvertently put the ball on the back of his own net to give the hosts the lead early in the 24th minute.

Sixteen minutes later, Arsenal suffered a major blow when forward Giroud was controversially sent off by the match official for a challenge on a Dinamo player. Things went downhill for the Gunners after the sending off, and the hosts ran away 2-1 winners after Junior Fernandes extended the team's lead and Theo Walcott pulled a goal back for Arsenal.

"The first yellow is Giroud's fault because he protested, even if it was not a foul against him, but after that he should not have responded to the referee. The second yellow card, Giroud is unlucky to touch the guy, he did not see him. It was accidental completely, but it happened," Wenger said after the game.

"I do not understand the referee. It has to be on purpose, a foul on purpose. Then the referee should have given many yellows," the Frenchman further added.

In other games, Arsenal's London rivals Chelsea ran away 4-0 winners against Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv, while defending champions Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw in Rome by AS Roma.