ARSENE WENGER was left fuming after his Arsenal side were denied a penalty in last night's Champions' League quarter-final first leg against Liverpool.

Wenger was left baffled after Dutch referee Pieter Vink failed to award a penalty when Reds' scorer Dirk Kuyt brought down Alexander Hleb, even though the official appeared to be well-placed .

"There was a blatant penalty right under the eyes of the referee," fumed the Arsenal boss. "That has happened a few times now and it is hard to accept.

"He was five yards away from Kuyt and didn't give the penalty. It's difficult to understand, frankly."

Vink hails from a town called Nordwijkerhout, which is just three miles away from where Dutchman Kuyt grew up in Katwijk. The official has earned the nickname Blinde Vink' in his homeland, and Wenger will feel his side have been on the receiving end of one of his blunders.

"I feel we were not rewarded for what we produced," Wenger continued. "To finish a game like that 1-1 is disappointing. We had so much possession it was frightening to just finish a draw."

Wenger, who saw his own Dutchman Robin van Persie limp off at half-time with a thigh injury, now faces the daunting task of rescuing Arsenal's season at one of Europe's most impenetrable fortresses.

The Frenchman is confident his side can score at Anfield, but he accepted that Kuyt's goal had the similar effect of a "thunderstorm."

He said: "It was a mental blow. You could see that was a big blow to take.

"It will be a test for us, but we have the desire to do it."