Arsenal beat Chelsea, but what was the referee and VAR doing?
Arsenal overcame Chelsea in a vital win, but baffling refereeing decisions – including a missed penalty and a dangerous stamp – left fans questioning PGMOL yet again.
Arsenal took another step toward Champions League qualification with a hard-fought victory over Chelsea, but the officiating from Chris Kavanagh and VAR’s Jarred Gillett left more questions than answers.
Mikel Merino opened the scoring with a well-placed header from a Martin Ødegaard corner in the 20th minute, and Arsenal looked dominant.
By that point, the game had already been gripped by PGMOL-generated controversy once again.
Marc Cucurella handled the ball inside his own box after Jurrien Timber‘s dangerous run into the area, but despite clear movement of the defender’s arm toward the ball, VAR ruled that his arm was in an “expected position” and refused to award the penalty.
Not long after, Wesley Fofana stamped on Declan Rice in what seemed an obvious red card offence. Instead, VAR ruled there was “insufficient force” for a dismissal, despite the clear and deliberate nature of the action.
Chris Kavanagh, who has sent players off for far less – including Rice himself for merely tapping a ball away – did not even brandish a yellow.
Fofana continued to test the referee’s patience, pulling back Leandro Trossard in transition, but once again escaped a booking.
His eventual yellow card came not for persistent fouling, but for throwing a second ball onto the pitch as Myles Lewis-Skelly attempted to take a throw-in.
Yet another foul by Fofana on the edge of the box saw no card brandished when most other players would have expected to see yellow. It was a remarkable game from the officials to allow him to remain on the pitch.
Arsenal managed to see out the match, securing a vital three points, but the officiating will be a major talking point as Arsenal fans are told once again to stop moaning by pundits who are unable to remember incidents prior to the one they are watching.
Speaking after the match, Mikel Arteta told BBC Match of the Day, “We did enough to deserve to win the game. Now we have the international break so let’s take a chance to breathe and bring some players back hopefully.
“We weren’t able to finish some of the actions. I really liked the attitude of the team.
“It was a big game and we wanted to win against a top team.”
The Gunners closed the gap on Liverpool to 12 points but, more importantly, they increased it on Nottingham Forest in third to four.
Chelsea are now in fourth place some nine points behind Arsenal.
Tottenham, meanwhile, lost 2-0 at Craven Cottage. They are in 13th place, 24 points behind Arsenal.
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