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Attacker · Pontedera · Italy
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Howard Webb praises VAR process in ruling out West Ham equaliser against Arsenal
Howard Webb has commended the process that led to West Ham’s equaliser against Arsenal on Sunday being overturned, describing Pablo’s foul on the goalkeeper David Raya as “clear and obvious”. In what has been described as the most consequential decision in the history of the video assistant review system, the referee Chris Kavanagh chose to rule out Callum Wilson’s late goal at the London Stadium, handing Arsenal an advantage in the title race. While Webb, the chief officer of Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), did not blame the official for missing the initial incident he argued it was inevitable that VAR “would have to get involved”. Speaking on Match Officials Mic’d Up, Webb said PGMO had specifically warned players at the beginning of the season against making the type of foul performed by Pablo on Raya. “Is it a foul on the goalkeeper? Categorically, yes,” he said. “We’ve said all season, including in pre-season briefings with the players, that if a goalkeeper is impeded by an opponent grabbing or holding their arms and therefore can’t do their job, they’ll be penalised. We’re not just talking about contact with goalkeepers, we’re talking about a specific type of contact when the goalkeeper’s arms or hands are being interfered with, stopping them doing their job. “When you see the best angle on this, you’ll see that that’s what happens from Pablo. And on the video, it’s clear and it’s obvious, and it happens early. Even though it’s not clear and obvious to the referee because he’s got a huge group of players in a penalty area, and it’s difficult to see, when the VAR sees this, of course, they have to get involved.” Webb said that officials at Stockley Park, in this case the VAR, Darren England, and assistant VAR, Akil Howson, had been aware of the significance of the moment when making their decision and had been “diligent” in their work. The check process lasted more than four minutes in total. “It takes a bit of time because they’re going through a process pretty diligently because they really respect the game, and they’re aware, of course, of the size of this situation, the importance of this situation,” Webb said. “We have to take our time to get it right in this really important situation. We did, and you’ll see this offence being identified, and rightly, the VAR recommended the referee look at the screen and looked at everything as well, not just that individual situation. They were diligent. They looked at the entire piece and were able to identify the offence that needed penalising.”
Mikel Arteta’s relief as ‘brave’ VAR decision takes Arsenal closer to title
Mikel Arteta saw his Arsenal team close in on the Premier League title with a 1-0 win at West Ham after a refereeing decision he said could “decide the history of two massive clubs”. Leandro Trossard scored for Arsenal in the 83rd minute, moments after David Raya had produced a huge one-on-one save to deny the West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes. But the game will be remembered for what happened in the 95th minute when the West Ham substitute Callum Wilson thought he had equalised after a corner broke to him. Instead, the video assistant referee, Darren England, spotted a foul by Pablo on Raya and after Chris Kavanagh was sent to the pitchside monitor to scrutinise 17 replays, the goal was ruled out. It meant Arsenal went five points clear of Manchester City at the top, having played an extra game, while West Ham stayed in the final relegation place, one point behind Tottenham, having played a match more. Arsenal and West Ham each have two league games remaining. “It was in the most chaotic circumstances when two teams are playing for their lives,” Arteta said of the disallowed goal. “It’s a call from the refs that I think is very brave but very consistent with what they’ve been talking about all season. When I have to be critical, I have been. 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, I think it is an obvious error. The goal has to be disallowed. So congratulations because they made a big call in very, very difficult circumstances. “Probably today I have realised how difficult and how big is the referee’s job. Because you’re talking about a moment that can decide the history, the course, of two massive clubs that are fighting with their lives to achieve their objectives.” The West Ham manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, was surprisingly calm; in no mood for outspoken comments. He promised his team would “fight until the last second” of the season as he lamented the inconsistency of refereeing. “All of us don’t understand what is a foul,” Nuno said. “Even the referees confuse themselves. Sometimes, it is; sometimes, it is not. It is upsetting and frustrating for us today. It’s a lack of consistency. It seems like the rules have changed. The Premier League have to solve it. They have to come to the clubs and explain because everybody is confused.”
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