Fans were furious after footage emerged of Declan Rice grabbing Konstantinos Mavropanos’ shirt during the incident that led to West Ham United’s equalizer being canceled. Arsenal’s late goal put them on cruise control in the title race, but their chances appeared to be blown away again when Callum Wilson’s shot crossed the goal line late in stoppage time.
But the celebrations inside the London Stadium were interrupted when Chris Kavanagh was asked to go in front of a monitor to get a better look at Pablo as he grabbed David Raya’s arm. After watching several replays of the melee, the referee ruled in favor of the title challengers, making a decision that could be crucial for both ends of the Premier League table.
However, furious fans pointed out that several other events were happening at the same time while the West Ham attacker was grappling with Raya. In one, Rice grabbed Mavropanos’ waist as he delivered a cross into the box.
Commentary for Sky Sports, Peter Drury and Gary Neville relayed that VAR had taken this into account, but said that VAR had no influence on the decision as it occurred after an altercation between Raya and Pablo. However, looking at the reverse angle of this collaboration shows that Rice grabbed Mavropanos before the events that ultimately led to the undoing goal occurred.
Much of the frustration from fans, players and managers alike stems from a lack of consistency in teamwork inside the penalty area. Arsenal have built their title challenge on the effectiveness of set pieces and have avoided similar incidents throughout the campaign.
In the season opener, Arsenal won the match with a set-piece goal, but replays showed William Saliba had grabbed Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Baindil’s arm. West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen addressed this in his post-match press conference with Sky Sports, suggesting the referee had made the wrong call.
he said: “Well, it was difficult. There are many ways to answer this question.
“We’re on the receiving end, so we’re going to feel accomplished. Football is a sport that brings fun and big moments. We had a big moment and I thought we got back in the game. You look at something for five minutes and try to figure something out.”
Before adding: “Goalkeepers are protected more than outfield players and there are a lot of holds in the box. Are you going to check them every time and give them a penalty? That’s the right way to do it. You can’t wipe out the goalkeeper, but the keeper has come to get the ball so you have to expect contact. This is the Premier League. Contact is going to happen.”
“Last week against Brentford we didn’t get a penalty because Tomas Soucek got caught at the back post, but I just think, like I said, if you watch something long enough, you’ll find something to give. I can guarantee you that the experts and the people who watch know that football is a physical game. If you’re going to give, you should give every week. Where’s the line, where’s the bar?”
