Arsenal fans were left furious as Tomas Soucek’s goal for West Ham stood (Picture: Amazon)
VAR did not rule out Tomas Soucek’s goal for West Ham against Arsenal on Thursday night despite the ball appearing to go out of play in the build-up.
Soucek silenced the Emirates after just 13 minutes after he was left unmarked from Jarrod Bowen’s cross to smash his effort past goalkeeper David Raya.
But there was huge controversy surrounding the goal and a long VAR check ensued after referee Michael Oliver had awarded it to the visitors.
That’s because the ball appeared to go out of play before Bowen reached it – with VAR checking two angles before deciding that the goal should stand.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenberg, speaking on Amazon Prime, has explained why the goal was not ruled out.
‘The on-field decision is a goal, so they have to find conclusive evidence that the ball has gone out of play,’ he said.
‘From the angles I have seen, the ball looks to be slightly in play.
‘There’s no other decision the match officials can give. The assistant referee, who is on the goal line, cannot see clearly if the ball has gone out of play.
‘The on-field decision is a goal. When you look at all the evidence, we cannot be 100 per cent certain that the ball has gone out.
‘There might be one side of the argument from Arsenal that they can see daylight, but the ball has to be over the line and there is no conclusive evidence.
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‘They could have used the technology they use for offside. there are two reference points, one is the goal line but unfortunately the other point of reference they need is the ball, which is being blocked by Bowen’s thigh. They had the technology available but could not use it.
‘They need a chip in the ball. if the ball is chipped, which we could possibly have moving forward, the technology could clearly see if the ball went out of play.’
The incident marks the second time Arsenal have conceded a goal this season where there’s controversy over whether the ball went out of play in the build-up, after it occurred in their 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United earlier in the campaign.
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