VIDEO: Clear foul? Alvaro Arbeloa fumes as ex-Man Utd winger Antony hauls down Ferland Mendy seconds before Real Betis equaliser

Madrid’s pursuit of Barcelona suffered a catastrophic blow as they surrendered a slender lead in the 94th minute at the Estadio La Cartuja. Vinicius Jr had opened the scoring early on, but Los Blancos failed to convert several clinical chances through Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham to put the game out of reach. The hosts capitalised on late chaos when Hector Bellerin fired home, though Madrid players were adamant that Ferland Mendy had been illegally hauled down by Antony in the build-up.

The draw leaves Madrid eight points adrift of the summit with only five games remaining, a gap that could widen to 11 if Barcelona defeat Getafe. Arbeloa did not hold back in his post-match assessment, targeting the referee’s failure to spot what he deemed a blatant infringement before the equaliser.

Expressing his frustration at the officiating and the lack of technical awareness from the VAR room, Arbeloa said: "There's a clear foul on Mendy before their goal. The problem is that the people responsible for these calls need to understand football, and clearly they don't."

With Madrid also out of the Champions League, the club is now staring at only their fifth trophyless season of the century. Arbeloa’s men must regroup for an away clash against Espanyol next week before a daunting trip to face Barcelona in the season's second Clasico. Unless Hansi Flick’s league leaders suffer an unprecedented collapse, the pressure on Arbeloa is expected to intensify as the reality of a second-place finish becomes almost certain.

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