West Ham found themselves at the centre of set-piece drama as VAR intervened to disallow a goal against Arsenal.
VAR Denies West Ham a Goal
The incident occurred during the match with Jarrod Bowen standing over the ball by the corner flag. A melee ensued before the ball was blasted over the line. Enter the video assistant referee, Darren England.
The VAR took time over the decision. This was a huge moment with five potential fouls. Whatever decision England made was going to be the subject of intense scrutiny.
Pablo was penalised for a foul on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. The VAR intervened to disallow it, and the Gunners claimed a crucial 1-0 win.
Breaking Down the Decisive Corner
There was so much going on in the penalty area as he delivered a cross. You cannot blame the VAR for taking his time. This was such a huge moment with five potential fouls buried among the bodies.
Let’s break it down step-by-step, consider the potential fouls and what the VAR would be looking for.
In the chronology of fouls, this was the first potential incident.
The two players were at the near post, with Kai Havertz in front facing the ball. Tomas Soucek was climbing over the back of the Germany international. As the ball was in the air, the Arsenal forward ended up on the floor with Soucek on top of him.
The VAR will take into account that the players were not in the area where the ball was going to land – Havertz was not going to be prevented from playing it.
That Soucek was facing the ball goes in his favour, too. All in all, the VAR would have allowed this to go.
It feels like this Premier League season has been defined by set-piece drama.
The Bigger Picture
Fast forward to Sunday, and the season-defining VAR intervention which had major repercussions for Arsenal’s title chances – and West Ham’s hopes of remaining in the Premier League.
There was pushing and pulling going on all over the place.
Set-piece drama has defined this Premier League season.