Inconsistent VAR calls raise questions about Premier League officiating
Following a heated Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea, experienced referee and PGMOL chief Howard Webb gave his thoughts on the controversial penalty decision that left Arsenal fans and analysts bewildered. The match, which ended in a 2-2 tie, was marred by a crucial decision by referee Chris Kavanagh not to award a penalty after Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez collided with Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus.
Webb’s comments have revived the debate over the Premier League’s uneven penalty decisions. He saw similarities between this incident and a previous one involving Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, who avoided a penalty for a collision with Wolves players on the opening weekend of the season.
Analysing Onana’s challenge, Webb said: “Onana jumps into the Wolves player. Kalajdzic is just jumping up and not into Onana, so it’s not two players coming together – It’s one player going into the other. In the end, we didn’t recommend a review.
“We should’ve done. We acknowledge that as an error in the opening week, which of course is disappointing. We took the learning from that and will obviously try going forward to ensure that type of error doesn’t happen again.”
Webb, who had earlier apologized to Wolves fans for missing to award a penalty in that match, argued that the league had failed to learn from its error.
“Sanchez has just come out and he wipes Jesus out. What is key for me is that he catches him in the head. It’s a terrible challenge,” said Alan Shearer, a former footballer and pundit, voicing his sentiments of many fans who felt Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty.
This rejected judgment could have a major impact in the Premier League title battle, since Arsenal currently sit second in the rankings, level on points with leaders Manchester City. The decision not to award the penalty means they missed out on a chance to go top.
The incident caused a new round of arguments in English football regarding the regularity and correctness of VAR judgments, with many fans, pundits, and now even Howard Webb driving for further scrutiny and reforms in the league’s officiating methods.
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