Mikel Arteta, at the London Stadium
/ DANIEL HAMBURY / EFE
Arsenal has long been a team that stirs controversy in England. Their precise and calculated dominance from set pieces could hand them their first Premier League title in 22 years. For some, this approach is admirable; for others—many others—it breeds resentment.
Arteta’s playbook blends tactical efficiency on the board with, at times, time-wasting. The latter infuriated Atlético Madrid in the dying moments of the Champions League semifinal second leg. On Sunday, the Gunners stormed the London Stadium thanks to Trossard’s lone strike in the 83rd minute, putting them within touching distance of the title.
The match, however, was not without controversy. West Ham thought they had equalized in the 95th minute through Callum Wilson, but the goal was ruled out. The Premier League’s Match Centre explained: “After consulting the VAR, the referee overturned the initial decision of a goal for West Ham United. Referee’s announcement: ‘After reviewing the play, West Ham’s number 19 commits a foul on the goalkeeper. The final decision is a direct free kick.'”
Referee Chris Kavanagh spent five minutes at the monitor after VAR official Darren England advised him of a hold and foul by Pablo Felipe on David Raya. *The Telegraph* called it “the most important moment in VAR history,” while Arteta insisted, “There is no doubt it is a clear foul.”
Arteta continued: “I will remember this day forever. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. That’s the beauty of the Premier League. Amid all that chaos and with the goalkeeper in the area, they managed to score. No one would disagree that it was a clear foul, because David (Raya) almost had the ball in his hands, and they took advantage to score. My instinct—watching it live—told me it would be a foul. Today I realized the enormous responsibility the referees have in that situation, making that decision and changing the fate of one of the two teams. What a decision.”
West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo disagreed: “We are all upset about how the match ended, of course. I didn’t watch the replay to avoid getting more angry, but there is a referee, there is VAR, and there are circumstances that would have been judged differently in the past. I won’t say much more. This raises many doubts and speculations.”
The word “VAR” appears in almost every English media outlet. “VARSENAL” headlined *The Sun*; *The Times* wrote “VAR saves Arsenal after Leandro Trossard’s goal”; *The Mirror* published “No VAR can save them now!”
Peter Schmeichel didn’t hold back on *Viaplay*: “What really angers me is that Arsenal would never be leading if that’s a foul. That’s how they’ve scored so many goals—blocking opponents, grabbing them, doing all sorts of things.”
Trossard rescued Arsenal at the London Stadium
/ DPA via Europa Press / DPA via Europa Press
“And then we get to the point that the VAR takes five minutes. Darren England, the VAR official, checks it again and again. That in itself raises many doubts about that decision, which cannot be a foul. It cannot be. It is a huge mistake. I simply don’t understand why it suddenly is a foul. It hasn’t been for any team all season. This is madness,” he continued.
