Arsenal's Premier League title charge was strengthened on Sunday after a controversial VAR decision ruled out what appeared to be an injury-time equaliser for West Ham. The Gunners now need only to beat Burnley and Crystal Palace to secure their first league title in 22 years, while West Ham remain a point behind Tottenham in the relegation battle.
The incident occurred from a corner, with bodies everywhere and a melee in the box. West Ham's potential equaliser was disallowed after VAR review, with referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR official Darren England determining that West Ham's Jean-Clair Todibo had pulled Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya's shirt. The decision sparked fury and confusion, with pundits and social media figures taking sides.
Jonathan Wilson, writing for The Guardian, argued that the goal was correctly disallowed. He noted that while West Ham's Pablo had an arm across Raya's neck, this was a result of Leandro Trossard barrelling into him, and Raya running into him. However, the clear shirt pull by Todibo was a definitive foul, and referees love shirt-pulls because they are unambiguous.
Wilson dismissed complaints about Arsenal getting away with similar incidents earlier in the season, stating that the referee's job is to consider the incident in question, not past decisions. He also addressed the issue of multiple fouls in the box, arguing that penalising the one with the most material impact is the only sensible approach.
Regarding the lengthy VAR delay, Wilson accepted that disruption is a drawback of the system, but argued that it is better to take time to get the decision right than to rush. He concluded that the discourse around VAR has become more tendentious and furious, as the explanation that officials simply didn't see an incident no longer holds.
