The controversial decision to disallow Callum Wilson’s goal between West Ham and Arsenal was controversial, with Howard Webb giving his opinion to match official Mic’D.
Howard Webb gives his thoughts on West Ham’s canceled goal (Image: Sky Sports)
Head of refereeing Howard Webb insisted he made the “absolutely” correct decision to disallow West Ham’s equalizer against Arsenal.
Sky pundit Gary Neville described it as “the biggest VAR decision in Premier League history” as it helped Arsenal win the title and could also play a role in West Ham’s relegation. Referee Chris Kavanagh sparked a huge controversy after checking 17 different replays, which took four minutes and 17 seconds, on the VAR screen and disallowing Callum Wilson to play in the 95th minute.
The match was eventually called off for a choke after West Ham substitute Pablo put his arm around Arsenal keeper David Raya, but audio recordings between officials revealed two other fouls were confirmed during the build-up.
“So, is that a foul against the goalkeeper? Absolutely. We’ve said all season, including in pre-season briefings with the players, that if a goalie is obstructed by an opponent grabbing or grabbing his arm and the goalie is unable to do his job because of that, then there will be a penalty,” Webb said on TV’s Match Officials Mick Do Up.
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“So if you look at the best angles of this, you’ll see that it’s happening from Pablo. And in the video, it’s obvious and obvious, and it happens early on.”
“And if VAR sees this, of course they have to get involved, even if it wasn’t clear and obvious to the referee because there are a lot of players in the penalty area and it’s difficult to see.”
“We are in the Premier League and we know that not every contact is a foul. We are constantly consulting with clubs, fan groups and various other stakeholders about the type of games they want to see and how they want us to manage them.”
Pablo was adjudged to have fouled Raya before Wilson’s goal (Image: Getty Images)
“This season is a little bit more unique than previous seasons in terms of the number of contacts inside the penalty area and that poses a challenge for referees. But they are looking for impactful situations when trying to identify what should be a penalty.
“And in this situation, you can see it’s going to take a little bit of time because they’re going through the process pretty diligently because they really respect the game and of course recognize the magnitude of this situation and the importance of this situation.”
A full transcript of the audio between referee Kavanagh, VAR operator Darren England and assistant Akil Howson also revealed that they considered possible fouls on Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard, but both ruled it came after the foul on Raya.
Chris Kavanagh finally chalks up West Ham’s goal after a long delay (Image: Getty Images)
The record read:
VAR: Trossard on Pablo. Look at Pablo’s Trossard. Please tell me about it from a better angle.
VAR: Let me give you a better angle.
REF: I don’t think it means much, but I’m satisfied with it.
VAR: Yes, I understand.
Reference person: It’s nothing.
VAR: Then I’d like to think about Declan Rice’s action against Mavropanos at the back.
VAR: But before that there was a foul on the goalkeeper.
Mic’D Up also highlighted three other incidents, claiming officials were correct in not sending off Newcastle keeper Nick Pope for challenging Arsenal’s Victor Gokeres, but also said Benjamin Sesco’s goal against Liverpool was correct.
But West Ham midfielder Matheus Fernandes admitted he was “expecting a penalty in the game” after he was shown handling the ball in the box against Everton.
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