REVEALED: Why Tomas Soucek’s contentious goal against Arsenal was allowed to stand… and the solution to officiating controversies could ‘require further developments in ball tracking’

Tomas Soucek's controversial goal during West Ham's 2-0 win against Arsenal has sparked much debate about the way VAR manages matches.

In a similar incident to Anthony Gordon's controversial goal against the Gunners earlier this season, video officials were unable to determine whether the ball had crossed the byline before Jarrod Bowen pulled a pass back to Soucek, who fired in Hammers' opener.

Many took to social media to claim the ball had gone over the line, with Mikel Arteta declaring after the match that VAR technology is 'not good enough'. Jamie Carragher also had his say on the incident, telling

Despite the controversy, ESPN explained why VAR had allowed the goal to stand, saying: 'Once again Arsenal were troubled by the sight of the ball being obscured by a player, meaning VAR Craig Pawson could not be sure the ball had crossed the goal line in its entirety.

'For Newcastle United's winner against Arsenal earlier this season, the ball was not in view of the goal-line camera and was subsequently hidden for possible offside against goalscorer Anthony Gordon.

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“This time it was Bowen's leg that covered the line and blocked the view of the ball. Although there is a good chance that the ball had gone completely over the line, the VAR had no evidence of this.'

The Gunners ultimately lost the match, with Konstantinos Mavropanos heading in after half-time to seal West Ham's second successive victory on the rebound, after claiming a 2-0 victory over Man United last week.

Arsenal then missed the chance to beat Liverpool at the top of the Premier League and are now two points behind the Red side in second place.

Questions have been raised over what can be done to improve VAR, with managers from across the Premier League last month demanding major changes be made to the ratings system amid a recent increase in controversial decisions.

Carragher also called for VAR to introduce 'technology on the sideline' after claiming that 'the referee's assistant is on the other side so it's virtually impossible for him to make a decision'.

And in the same vein as the former Liverpool defender, ESPN added that while adding more cameras wouldn't be the solution, technological developments could be the only way forward to provide a definitive solution to the problem.

They wrote: 'Hawk-Eye in tennis judges only on predictive elements of where the ball will bounce, because it cannot be out of play when it is in the air.

“Similarly, in cricket there is a small, defined area through which the ball can pass to hit the stumps. In both sports the ball may not be hidden.

'In football the area where the ball can go out of play is much larger, and it is likely that further developments in ball tracking, involving semi-automated offside, will be the long-term solution are.'

After the match, Mikel Arteta added: 'If the technology we have at the moment is not good enough to give us that answer [of whether the ball went out]What we have to do is, without that, win the game.

'I have not seen it. They say it's not final. It's a shame that with the technology we have it's not as clear so we can tell if it's out or in.”

The Arsenal boss added: 'It's done. It's gone. There's nothing we can do about it now.'