Hermansen Questions VAR Call That Denied West Ham 1-1 as Arsenal Held On for 1-0 Win
Updated
Updated · Football365 · May 11
Hermansen Questions VAR Call That Denied West Ham 1-1 as Arsenal Held On for 1-0 Win
7 articles · Updated · Football365 · May 11
Mads Hermansen said David Raya privately felt much the same about West Ham’s stoppage-time equaliser being ruled out in Arsenal’s 1-0 win, even though Raya had grounds to claim a foul.
The goal was chalked off after a lengthy VAR review found Pablo had fouled Raya at a corner before Callum Wilson finished, preserving a result with major Premier League implications.
Hermansen said the issue was not whether contact on Raya could be called a foul, but why this incident was punished when similar blocks, pulls and pushes on goalkeepers have gone unpunished all season.
Mikel Arteta backed the decision and praised the referee and VAR for having the courage to review the incident and overturn a goal that would have changed the outcome.
Was the 4-minute VAR review a brave correction, or proof the 'clear and obvious error' standard is broken?
After this 'season-defining' VAR call, will football's rules on protecting goalkeepers finally be rewritten?