Furious Andoni Iraola accuses Kai Havertz of diving as he bemoans VAR decisions after Bournemouth’s 3-0 defeat by Arsenal… but admits the Gunners ‘deserved to win’
- Bukayo Saka scored a penalty before Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice struck
- The victory puts Mikel Arteta’s team four points ahead of Manchester City
- Kai Havertz’s mental strength is impressive… after a difficult start to the season he has proven his worth – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola complained about two controversial VAR decisions that saw his side defeated by Arsenal.
Kai Havertz was awarded a penalty by referee David Coote after making contact with goalkeeper Mark Travers in the area before hitting the ground.
And in the second half, the Cherries’ Antoine Semenyo was awarded a goal after Dominic Solanke fouled David Raya in the build-up.
VAR Peter Bankes chose not to reverse the decisions.
“I don’t agree with the referees’ decisions,” Iraola said. ‘The penalty kick one and especially the disallowed goal.
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola complained about two VAR decisions after the defeat at Arsenal
Kai Havertz was awarded a penalty by referee David Coote after making contact with goalkeeper Mark Travers
Bournemouth were left furious after Antoine Semenyo’s strike was disallowed for an apparent foul on David Raya – despite minimal contact
After a lengthy VAR review, the original decision to disallow the goal stood
“For me, Kai Havertz is the one trying to find the contact (who isn’t there). At the last moment he finds the contact and does not go to the goal to score a goal.
‘I think if you asked the person on the VAR they would probably say, ‘It’s not a penalty’. They’re probably thinking. “There is contact, so I can’t undo it.”
On Semenyo’s disallowed goal, he added: ‘For me it’s a penalty for Philip Billing, or it’s a goal, you can’t go any other way.
“I thought, ‘Okay, they’re taking their time because they decide whether it’s a penalty for Billing or whether they just leave the goal.’ But I don’t understand the decision. But I want to repeat: they (Arsenal) deserved to win.
‘I think in two or three days they will say in their (PGMOL) report: “The panel said it was not a penalty, it was a goal”. That does not matter.’
