Gunners benefit from contentious call in 1-0 victory

Arsenal received one of the most controversial decisions in VAR history in the last minutes of the match in which they defeated West Ham 1-0.

West Ham scored the equalizer but after a lengthy VAR check the goal was disallowed due to a foul on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya during the build-up.

In commentary for Sky Sports, Gary Neville described the incident as “the greatest moment in the history of VAR in the Premier League”.

How did West Ham score?

In the 94th minute, Callum Wilson’s shot was blocked by Gabriel. From the resulting corner West Ham sent goalkeeper Mads Hermansen forward and he made real trouble as he charged towards the ball.

As the corner entered, David Raya went to collect the ball, but the ball slipped out of his hands and bounced slightly. This was good for Wilson, who passed the ball through the crowd and into the goal for the first time. Although Declan Rice cleared the ball, he and the ball were just over the goal line.

Arsenal’s objections were immediate. Raya and her teammates approached referee Chris Kavanagh. On the touchline, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also pointed to his arm to indicate that his goalkeeper had been fouled. VAR, Darren England, chose to examine the preparations for the goal.

Critical VAR control

• Players jostle for position as the corner flies over the six-yard box. Declan Rice appears to be holding Konstantinos Mavropanos with his left arm. Pablo, himself held by Leandro Trossard, begins to extend his arm over David Raya
• Pablo’s arm around Raya’s throat appears to prevent the Arsenal goalkeeper from jumping to collect the ball

• Raya is unable to make a clean catch with Pablo’s hand on the goalkeeper’s left arm. But behind him Rice looks set to beat West Ham’s Mavropanos
• Pictures taken from the opposite angle show Rice holding her arms around Mavropanos. Immediately after this the ball bounces clear for Wilson to score:

After watching the incident on the pitchside monitor, on-field referee Kavanagh disallowed the goal and said: “After review, West Ham number 19. [Pablo] He fouls the goalkeeper. The final decision is a direct free kick.”

Reaction

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager: Arteta praised the referees’ “courage” and “openness”. “Today I realized how difficult and how big the referee’s job is,” he said. “Because you are talking about a moment that will determine the history and course of two great clubs fighting with their lives to achieve their goals. And the pressure is huge.

“That was a call that I thought was very brave from the referees but consistent with what they’ve been talking about all season. So when I have to be critical.” [of the VAR officials]I became Today I have to praise them for at least giving the referee the option to decide. Away from the lights and chaos, giving him the clarity to make the right decision. And I think that’s an obvious mistake when you look at it that way. This is a free kick and the goal should be disallowed. Congratulations. Because they made a big decision under very, very difficult circumstances.”

West Ham coach Nuno: “Of course, we are all saddened by the way the match ended. I did not take the replay into consideration to avoid further upset, but there is a referee, there is VAR, there are situations that would have been evaluated differently in the past. There is no need to say more than that. Even the referees do not know what is a foul and what is not a foul. This creates a lot of doubts and speculations.”

“You look at every corner of the Premier League, what’s going on? Something like this. Not just today, on all pitches. What is a foul and what is not a foul? It’s a difficult thing. Everyone is confused. The players don’t understand it.”

Gary Neville on Sky Sports’ comment: “This is a tremendous moment. The greatest moment in the history of VAR in the Premier League. Drama, drama! If Arsenal are to go on and win the title, this is a play that will go down in folklore. And Arsenal get over the line and that’s a huge step towards their first Premier League title in 22 years. Does VAR have the courage to call? This is a huge deal for refereeing in this country…”

Ian Wright in Sky Sports Studio:“Now we see, he has his arms crossed and is blocking her. It was like a blessing!”

Roy Keane on Sky Sports: “West Ham’s poor discipline cost them dearly. Try not to foul when you go up because it will be checked by VAR.”

Jarrod Bowen, West Ham forward: “Goalkeepers are more protected than outfield players and there is a lot of holding in the box. Are you going to look at them every time and give a penalty? You can’t wipe a goalkeeper but the goalkeeper has stepped in to get the ball and has to wait for contact. This is the Premier League; there will be contact. I can guarantee the pundits and those watching know that football is a physical game.”

Did the referee do it right? Telegraph (London) writers’ verdict

Jason Burt: My view is that this should be a goal. There’s so much going on in that corner that one of the topics that doesn’t seem to be addressed is what Leandro Trossard is doing. The Arsenal striker has his back to goal and is focusing on stopping Pablo.

Would this cause the West Ham attacker to raise his arm to reach the corner and therefore block David Raya? Even contact with the Arsenal goalkeeper proved fruitless. Finally, is this a clear and obvious error and is there so much chaos that it’s nearly impossible to fix?

Sam Dean: My view, watching the replays on the small screens in the press box, was that it was probably a foul by Pablo on Raya. As the Spaniard pounces, the West Ham striker puts his arm around Raya’s throat and before the ball reaches six yards you can see that Raya is actually attractive.

However – and this is a really big “but” – I am not convinced that this is a clear and obvious error. Of course, this is when VAR should be used. The length of time it took to make a decision suggests it wasn’t obvious, but I can understand the referee rushing to make such an important decision.

Arsenal have gotten away with similar incidents twice this season

Riccardo Calafiori goals, Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal, 17 August 2025
Arsenal experienced a similar incident in their opening match of the season at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, while William Saliba was struggling with goalkeeper Altay Bayındır in Manchester United’s goal, Declan Rice’s corner came. The goalkeeper was unable to fully control the ball and Calafiori nodded in from close range.

Gabriel scores the goal, Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa, 30 December 2025
The Arsenal centre-back challenges Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the air in the corner. In the pictures, Gabriel’s elbow can be seen making contact with Martinez’s face, but the ball bounces over the line and the goal, the first goal of the match, causes much anger from the away team.

Telegraph, London