The controversy was rife on Sunday as Arsenal lost their away game with Manchester United 3-1. This put an end to their 5-game winning streak and the perfect start to the season.
New signing Antony scored on his debut, and Bukayo Saka equalized shortly after half-time. Marcus Rashford then slotted two goals, to secure Manchester United’s fourth consecutive win.
However, the result could have been extremely different had Gabriel Martinelli’s 11th Minute strike been not dropped due to VAR. After a lengthy VAR review, Martin Odegaard had allegedly fouled Christian Eriksen when he snatched the ball before Saka passed through to Martinelli who went on to score what should have been the opener.
Footage showed how close the challenge was. The referee had initially judged the challenge to be fair. This goal would have given Arsenal the lead and may have shifted the momentum of the match in the Gunners’ favor.
VAR Controversy: Arsenal not the one
Comparisons have been drawn between a similar challenge made by Youri Tielemans during Leicester’s first goal against Brighton on the same day. However, the goal against United was denied.
The likes of Gary Linekar and Alan Shearer among others have criticized this VAR decision.
It comes in the aftermath of a series of poor VAR decisions during matches in the same game week. Both Newcastle and West Ham were denied goals against Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
