Is this the moment that decided the title? VAR in spotlight after intervention saves Arsenal
Relegation-battling West Ham had a stoppage-time equaliser from Callum Wilson ruled out for a foul by Pablo on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya
Alan Shearer has criticised a lack of consistency from officials after Arsenal’s controversial 1-0 win over West Ham brought another twist to the Premier League title race.
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Relegation-battling West Ham had a stoppage-time equaliser from Callum Wilson ruled out for a foul by Pablo on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, but the check took more than four minutes as VAR Darren England watched several replays before sending referee Chris Kavanagh to the screen.
The decision cost West Ham a goal which could have earned them a priceless point in their fight against relegation, while Arsenal survived to stay five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.
On advice from VAR Darren England, match referee Chris Kavanagh reviewed footage on the pitchside monitor, and after a process that took more than four minutes, disallowed the goal for a foul on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya by Pablo.
Read More: Arsenal edge toward title as win over West Ham pushes Irons closer to relegation
Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville, who was working as a co-commentator for Sky Sports, felt it was a big moment and the correct decision was eventually made.
Neville said: “This is an earthquake, a tremor of a moment.
“I have to say the big striker has got his arm across David Raya. He does disrupt him.
“VAR, what are they going to do? It is probably the biggest moment in VAR history in the Premier League. This is massive.
“I think it’s a foul. His arm is held on Raya. It’s on him all the time. He’s holding across his neck and chest. I think it’s a foul.
“But have VAR got the nerve, the guts, the courage to make the decision? This is massive for refereeing in this country. This is too big to get wrong.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “It was a call from the ref that is very brave, but very consistent with what they’ve been talking about all season.
“When I have to be critical, I have been. And today I have to praise them, at least for giving the option to a referee to decide, away from the lights and the chaos, to give clarity to him to make the right call. And when you look at the action in that way, it is an obvious error.
“It is a free-kick, and the goal has to be disallowed. So congratulations, because they made a big call in very, very difficult circumstances.
“Today I have realised how difficult and how big the referee’s job is. Because you’re talking about a moment that can decide the history, and the course, of two massive clubs that are fighting with their lives to achieve their objectives. And the pressure is huge.”
Former England captain Alan Shearer said that the officials ultimately made the right call, but said VAR had failed to bring about an end to inconsistency in officiating.
“I guess some people will think it was a foul, some won’t, some will think, ‘Where on earth is the consistency?’ because we’re seeing something like that every single week.
Gary Lineker added: “(It was) probably a foul, but that’s not quite what they are supposed to be, is it? If I were a West Ham fan, or indeed a Manchester City fan, I think I’d be a little bit angry, because there was a lot of fouling going on at that corner.
“There was a lot of grappling by Arsenal players on the West Ham attacks. I know goalkeepers are protected more than anyone else, and it was probably a foul on him, but do you look at what happened before when people are being held which is probably a more obvious foul?”