West Ham's Injury-Time Goal Disallowed as Arsenal Extend Lead
West Ham's injury-time goal against Arsenal on Sunday was correctly disallowed, according to referees' chief Howard Webb.
Webb also indicated that a consultation would take place at the end of the season regarding excessive grappling in the penalty area and how such incidents should be managed.
Callum Wilson appeared to have secured a Premier League point for West Ham in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but the video assistant referee (VAR) intervened due to a foul by Pablo on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
The decision was controversial, resulting in a 1-0 victory for Arsenal and affecting the standings of both clubs as well as those of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at opposite ends of the Premier League table.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised VAR official Darren England for his "a lot of courage" in overturning the goal, while West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo criticized referees for a "lack of consistency."
Webb Supports the Decision to Penalize the Foul
Speaking on Match Officials Mic'd Up, Webb stated that the foul on Raya was clear and warranted a penalty.
"Is it a foul on the goalkeeper? Categorically yes," Webb 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 they 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.
"Raya can't do what he would normally do in that situation, simply catch the ball or punch the ball, and they intervene, and they come to the right decision.
"When you look at that in the round, that's clearly the clear and obvious offence that needs penalising."
The VAR audio revealed that other potential fouls were examined, including Leandro Trossard on Pablo, but Webb endorsed the VAR team's conclusion that the most significant contact was on the goalkeeper.
Analysis of Multiple Fouls During the Incident
The incident involved several possible fouls, highlighting the complexity of officiating in such situations.
Webb acknowledged the challenges referees face with increased grappling, holding, and pushing in the Premier League this season, particularly in penalty areas during set pieces.
"We consult all the time with the clubs, with the fan groups, with a range of other stakeholders about the type of game that they want to see and how they want us to officiate it," Webb added.
"This season's been a little bit more unique than previous ones about the number of contacts in the penalty area, and it does create a challenge for the officials.
"We'll certainly continue consulting with all of the people I mentioned earlier about the type of game they want to see, because we have seen more involvement from set-piece coaches bringing players together in these areas, looking for those marginal gains.
"But we need to be vigilant. We need to identify those clear actions that are impactful.
"We've penalised more holding penalties than we did last year, but we've missed some as well."
Transcript: VAR Audio of West Ham's Disallowed Goal
The following is an excerpt from the VAR audio during the review of West Ham's disallowed goal:
Assistant Referee 1 (AR1): Dan Cook
Assistant VAR (AVAR): Akil Howson
AR1: I don't see any foul on the goalkeeper.
REF: On-field decision is goal.
VAR: Checking the on-field decision of goal.
VAR: OK, let's play it through, let's play it through. Let's just get a feel now.
VAR: Then it's just a shot. So, it's literally just a possible foul on Raya, what I'm seeing in terms of that.
AVAR: Yeah, and to make sure he doesn't have it in his hand.
VAR: OK, let's get a tighter angle on the goalkeeper please.
VAR: On the Arsenal goalkeeper.
VAR: This one. Slow it down, frame by frame.
VAR: For me, there is a foul. Potential foul with the arm.
VAR: His hand is holding his arm down. That's impactful, for me.
VAR: The left arm there, is holding, is across the body.
VAR: He's across the head and he's holding the left arm of Raya, there.
VAR: Which impedes his ability to get to the ball properly.
VAR: Doesn't look that impactful from that angle.
AVAR: Because that contact we've got there, we've got…
VAR: Just keep delaying. Just checking possible foul on the goalkeeper.
AVAR: You've got that straight behind him as well, look.
RO: I'll go back to the original angle.
RO: Do you want to see it at full speed?
VAR: Is it impactful on the goalkeeper that, for me.
VAR: Go back to the second angle you showed me, the second angle.
RO: No problem, just going to look now.
AVAR: Can you do a split screen on both of them as well?
VAR: This one here, this one. Yeah, give us a split screen. That one and then the first angle.
VAR: No, sorry, this one and this one, thank you.
AVAR: I don't like Trossard not facing the ball and you've got…
AVAR: I agree, it's impactful, it's just everything else that's going on as well.
AVAR: Let's say we're saying that's a foul, then what are we saying about Trossard's actions on the same player?
AVAR: What are we saying about Declan Rice behind?
VAR: He still gets a hand to the ball, doesn't he? When he's getting to the ball.
AVAR: What's your initial opinion as you watched it?
VAR: I think, for me, we send him for an on-field review to look at the possible foul on the goalkeeper.
VAR: And then we get him to look at the other incidents as well. I think that's the best decision in terms of this.
VAR: Chris (Chris Kavanagh - REF), I'm going to recommend an on-field review for a possible foul on the goalkeeper but there are some other incidents to look at while you're at the monitor as well.
VAR: So, I'm going to show you a possible foul on the goalkeeper.
VAR: The left arm of Pablo comes across Raya and holds on to the left arm of Raya as he goes to win the ball.
REF: I can see the clear holding on him across.
VAR: Yeah, but then I'm just going to show you some, obviously, other angles on that incident, of players.
AVAR: You've got Declan Rice and you've got Trossard.
REF: I don't know what you're trying to show me, give me a clue.
VAR: Trossard on Pablo. Just if you look at Trossard on Pablo. Give me a better angle on that.
VAR: I'll get you a better angle.
REF: I don't think there's much in that at all, I'm happy with that.
VAR: And then if you just want to consider the actions of Declan Rice on Mavropanos at the back.
VAR: But the foul happens on the goalkeeper before.
REF: Before it, so… After review, West Ham number…
REF: Just confirm his number again for me.
REF: After review, West Ham number 19 commits a foul on the goalkeeper. Final decision is direct free-kick.
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