With their first Premier League trophy in 22 years, Arsenal have finally silenced the bottling allegations. It has been a stellar season for the side, but the Gunners – dubbed by some as 'VARsenal' – have been accused of benefiting from fortunate refereeing decisions in many critical moments. Daily Mail Sport's Jeff Powell even argued that their title should be accompanied by an asterisk.
The North London club were notoriously hot-headed last season, picking up a league-leading six red cards and conceding three penalties. But this season, the footballing gods seem to be on their side. A perfect outing against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday will mean they end the league season without a single blemish on their record. Arsenal are Premier League champions and have become VAR angels in the process.
That is not to say they have escaped serious punishment at times. During Monday's win over Burnley, Kai Havertz caught midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu with a high tackle, making contact with his studs. The German received an immediate yellow card from referee Paul Tierney, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) curiously opted against initiating a review. The incident sparked outrage among interim manager Mike Jackson, pundits, and fans, with many left scratching their heads wondering how Havertz was not sent off.
It was not the first time Arsenal have seemingly been on the fortunate side of a refereeing decision, and one must wonder how the table would look if the side had not been let off easily. From intense wrestling matches to headbutts, Sportsmail takes a look at the five most controversial calls from Arsenal's season.
1) Arsenal vs Chelsea – Fouls Galore?
There was outrage online after Arsenal narrowly held on against a 10-man Chelsea to secure a 2-1 victory in March, as many were quick to scrutinise referee Darren England's performance. There was the alleged handball committed by Declan Rice – who looked to be nearly choking Jorrel Hato – during a corner kick, although the subsequent set-piece ended in a goal. Then, David Raya seemed to make contact with Joao Pedro while stretching to punch a ball away. The Arsenal goalkeeper's move was not as blatant an offence as Pedro Neto's two yellow cards, but VAR overturned a no-penalty decision when West Ham's Alphonse Areola did something similar earlier in the season against Nottingham Forest. After the Hammers' match, midfielder Tomas Soucek said: 'For me it is a joke. I just saw it again and I think we can have 20 penalties per game if it is like that. I came to the Premier League because I thought it was the toughest league in the world and we are all fighters and warriors, but this looks more like basketball when you can't touch the player.'
2) Everton vs Arsenal – Saliba's Karate Kick
The Gunners won the game 1-0 thanks to a Victor Gyokeres penalty, but the Toffees argued that they deserved their own spot kick. The Hill Dickinson Stadium erupted when William Saliba kicked the foot of Everton striker Thierno Barry while attempting to clear the ball, but VAR chose not to alert on-field referee Sam Barrott as they deemed there was not enough contact to warrant a penalty. The Key Match Incident (KMI) panel later conceded that this was a mistake. Their ruling described the incident as 'a late challenge where Saliba carelessly kicks Barry with no contact on the ball' and concluded that VAR should have intervened.
3) Manchester City vs Arsenal – Heads Up
City went on to win this game thanks to a 90th-minute goal from Erling Haaland, but an earlier offence could have proved costly for Arsenal's title hopes. Haaland and Gabriel Magalhães had been involved in a physical battle all match, when a tussle caused the players to come face-to-face. Gabriel thrust his head forward to push the Norwegian, and players from both sides erupted into a brief shoving match. Both stars received a yellow card, but opinions were split on whether Gabriel's actions were worthy of a sending off. Ultimately, the KMI found that referee Anthony Taylor had made the wrong call but the threshold had not been met for VAR to get involved.
4) Brighton vs Arsenal – Downed a Seagull
Another missed penalty call that could have taken two more points from the Gunners occurred against the Seagulls in March. With the score at 1-0, Mats Wieffer got in behind Gabriel Martinelli and was subsequently pulled down inside the box. There was a massive appeal from the pitch and beyond, but VAR did not intervene. Once again, the retrospective decision by the KMI was that 'Martinelli is not looking at the ball, holds Wieffer into the area and prevents the Brighton player from challenging for the ball.' The panel's decision validates the incensed fans inside the American Express Stadium. It was yet another lucky escape for the Gunners that potentially saved them two points.
5) West Ham vs Arsenal – The Rumble in the Box
Arguably the most controversial of these decisions came in a late-season match that might have decided the outcome of this Premier League campaign. After Leandro Trossard's late go-ahead goal, the Gunners sat in to defend their three points with all of their might, but Callum Wilson broke through after latching onto a loose ball following a hotly-contested corner kick. Yet what followed was a shambolic VAR review lasting four minutes and 11 seconds, culminating in the goal being ruled out, with officials deeming that David Raya had been fouled by Pablo during the corner kick. In what will surely be seen as seismic to the future of both clubs at opposite ends of the table, many have called out what look like numerous fouls being committed simultaneously by the likes of Trossard and Declan Rice. But, alas, the first foul was Pablo's on Raya. KMI and PGMO chief Howard Webb insisted this decision was correct, but that has not stopped people from branding this one of the most controversial VAR decisions ever.
