Howard Webb, the former official in charge of the Premier League’s referees, explained precisely why Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was wrong to argue against the penalty his side missed out on during last weekend’s controversial clash with Newcastle United.
After seeing Viktor Gyökeres’s appeal for a spot kick at St James’ Park rebuffed following a VAR review, Arteta questioned why the officials at Stockley Park were getting involved at all. “If it is not a clear and obvious error, VAR should not intervene,” the Arsenal boss fumed.
Webb firmly disagreed.
Gyökeres rounded Newcastle United’s goalkeeper Nick Pope midway through the first half of Sunday’s late 2–1 win. The England international clearly made contact with Arsenal’s striker but, as Webb was eager to point out, he also got a brush of the ball.
“There was an important part around this in that the referee didn’t recognise that touch by Pope in real time,” Webb explained on .
“Hence the reason that when the VAR saw it, he deemed it to be a clear and obvious error because that touch by Pope hadn’t been seen, and therefore the referee could go to the screen to look at that really important aspect and make a judgement for himself, and the judgement was: I’ve seen the touch, therefore it’s not a foul, and I’m going to start with the drop ball.”
