ZeeboiThe 2024/2025 season has seen Arsenal repeatedly caught up in contentious refereeing calls, with the most recent occurring against Everton, where a penalty was awarded following a clash between Myles Lewis-Skelly and Jack Harrison.
Iliman Ndiaye converted the penalty, leading to a 1-1 draw that left Mikel Arteta visibly frustrated with the decision to grant Everton the spot-kick.
The Arsenal manager didn’t hold back, expressing his dismay after reviewing Lewis-Skelly’s challenge on Harrison 15 times and questioning the call.
The result meant Arsenal had to settle for a point against Everton, another frustrating outcome that might suggest a step backward for the team this term.
Jamie Carragher was asked for his take on whether Lewis-Skelly’s contact justified a penalty for David Moyes’ Everton side.
Jamie Carragher argues Everton’s penalty against Arsenal was unwarranted
Carragher initially described Lewis-Skelly’s contact with Harrison as “soft,” conceding that his first impression leaned toward it being a penalty for Everton against Arsenal.
However, after further review, he concluded the call was a mistake, believing Arsenal were unfairly penalized and Everton benefited from a stroke of luck.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said: “If it was a penalty, it was very, very soft and I’m with Mikel Arteta, I don’t think it was a penalty. When I first saw it, I thought it was a penalty. I could understand the referee giving it in some ways because it was a bit of a mess from Arsenal. I think the centre-back, Kiwior leaves the ball, Lewis-Skelly gets himself caught with Harrison, it looks like a bit of a tangle.”
“So, I can understand the referee giving it but then when you look at it, it looked really, really soft and in some ways, that decision or those type of decisions are almost what’s wrong with VAR. You look at it and you say, that’s not a penalty.”
Carragher suggested that calls like the one penalizing Lewis-Skelly’s encounter with Harrison highlight areas where VAR could refine its approach, especially after Arsenal’s stalemate with Everton.
“But it’s not an absolute howler and then VAR don’t get involved and really, it’s just not a penalty. And that’s where sometimes I’d like VAR just to say, it’s not about the referee making a horrendous decision, it’s not a penalty, you make that decision and you move on.”
Alan Shearer weighs in on Everton’s penalty call against Arsenal:
Alan Shearer echoed Carragher’s sentiments, asserting that Everton’s penalty against Arsenal was unmerited, as he told BBC Match of the Day: “Yeah I think it’s very, very soft, no, not enough to give penalty for me, no.
“And they’re not going to overturn it, there is a little bit of contact, look, when he falls he does clip his leg, but not for me no I think that’s very, very harsh.”
Gary Lineker chimed in: “This is why VAR can never work in the current format because you’ve got to decide if it’s enough of a foul which just makes no sense whatsoever.”
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