The PGMOL has admitted that there was a VAR error as Arsenal lost to West Ham in the battle to return to top spot. From the angles available at Stockley Park, it was impossible to determine whether the ball remained in play during the build-up to Tomas Soucek’s opening goal, so the on-field decision to continue play stood.
Arsenal fans were adamant that Jarrod Bowen had not kept the ball, but their mood worsened in the second half when former Gunners goal-scorer Konstantinos Mavropanos headed James Ward-Prowse’s header to give Arsenal a 2-0 victory, which left Mikel Arteta’s men in second place, two points behind Liverpool.
Every time Arsene Wenger said “I didn’t see it”, the Arsenal faithful labelled it a legitimate excuse. However, the home fans did not have much of an ear for dismissing VAR with the same delusion.
Did the ball cross the line in the build-up to West Ham’s opening goal or not? One of the shots produced by the cutting-edge technology that was partly installed to deal with this very problem showed that the ball was still slightly in play.
But in the next shot, the ball simply disappeared. Was the ball over the line or just hiding behind Jarrod Bowen’s thigh? Stockley Park had no evidence to say for sure, so they were forced to make a decision on the field. Tomas Soucek’s firm finish from close range was conceded.
So many questions, but in reality the VAR situation for Arsenal is even more minimal. More long-term benefit could come from examining why Oleksandr Zinchenko simply ran into Gabriel in the build-up to the 13th-minute goal, and whether he has too many of these mistakes in him to sustain a title challenge.
A question to be addressed next week when the transfer window opens. There are other questions. In a thrilling opening seven minutes, Arsenal had 87 per cent possession but for all their scrambling, trickery and back-foot strikes, Arsenal failed to threaten the Arsenal goal even remotely.
They need someone to regularly put the ball in the net. In the Champions League, that is Gabriel Jesus – 24 in 43 games. But his only three goals in the Premier League are one of the reasons why Arsenal have allowed so many of the games he has dominated to get out of hand.
West Ham doubled their lead when Mavropanos clipped the underside of the bar from a Ward-Prowse corner in the 56th minute – his refusal to celebrate was a tribute to eight forgettable games in four years in that position. That was when Jesus really caused a real groan from the disappointed Arsenal supporters.
First Bukayo Saka’s cross straight at Alphonse Areola, then a moment later Ben White’s even better service from close range was met high over the bar.