West Ham’s equalizer against Arsenal was ruled out as a result of VAR. (Image: Getty)
Premier League Match Center has explained why VAR intervened to invalidate Callum Wilson’s late equalizer in West Ham’s match against Arsenal. The Hammers thought they had equalized when Declan Rice failed to stop the ball from crossing the line, but the match was quickly called off, although there was a flurry of jubilation inside the London Stadium.
VAR decided to investigate the incident and forward Pablo was accused of fouling goalkeeper David Raya in a corner, which ultimately resulted in the goalkeeper fluttering toward the ball and Wilson pouncing on him. After a long wait, the referee was called to the monitor to confirm the moment.
Ultimately, after consultation with VAR officials, they decided to reverse their original decision to award the goal. Moments later, he blew the whistle as Arsenal secured a crucial three points in the title race.
Match Center announced, “As a result of the VAR review, the referee overturned the original goal decision in favor of West Ham United.The referee announced, “After review, West Ham’s number 19 committed a foul on the goalkeeper.The final decision was a direct free kick.”
Express sports on FB! Get all the best sports news and more on our Facebook page
Leandro Trossard, who scored the only goal of the game, said that Raya immediately felt he was fouled when the ball entered the box.
“That was one of the toughest matches overall,” he told Sky Sports. “I was very happy when I scored the goal, but in the end I had to hold on and not concede any goals.I was really happy that I scored the goal and won.
“Raya immediately said this wasn’t going to be a goal. At that moment, I believed so much. I believed because he was so convincing, but you never know.
“You might think things didn’t go our way, but luckily we were able to win the game with a foul. I was relieved that there wasn’t much time left, but we still had to work hard for a few minutes. I’m really happy with this win.”
The goal was ruled out by VAR. (Image: Sky Sports)
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen led complaints from the home side, who failed to pick up a valuable point to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
He said: “Yeah (it was tough). There are a lot of ways to answer that question. We’re on the receiving end so we feel like we’ve been toughed out. Football is a sport that brings fun and brings big moments. We had a big moment and I thought we were able to get back in the game.”
“You look at something for five minutes and try to find something. Goalkeepers are protected more than outfield players and there are a lot of holds in the box. Are you going to look at them every time and give a penalty? That’s the right way.”
“You can’t wipe out the goalkeeper, but the keeper has come to get the ball and you have to expect contact. This is the Premier League so contact will happen.”
“Last week against Brentford we didn’t get a penalty because Tomas Soucek got caught at the back post. But like I said, I think if you look at something long enough you can give something.”
“I can assure you that the experts and the people who watch the game know that football is a physical game. If you’re going to do it, let’s do it every week. Where’s the line, where’s the bar?”
World Cup Legends: The stars of soccer’s biggest tournament in history – buy the special edition now
