Shambolic VAR is SLAMMED again after ruling out Bournemouth’s goal against Arsenal in ‘baffling’ decision – as even Gunners fan Piers Morgan says they ‘got away with it’
- Dominic Solanke is said to have fouled Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya
- Antoine Semenyo had followed, but the goal was controversially disallowed
- Kai Havertz’s mental strength has been impressive… after a tough start to the season he has proven his worth – Listen to the It all starts! podcast
The VAR controversy struck again after two interventions infuriated Arsenal and Bournemouth during the Gunners’ 3-0 win – leading to calls for the match to be scrapped.
Both sides found themselves on the wrong end of the referees’ divisive decisions during a dramatic showdown in the Emirates, with Ryan Christie escaping a red card for a high tackle and the Cherries having a second-half goal disallowed.
Strikes from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard put Arsenal on course to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League but the visitors hit back through Antoine Semenyo, the striker bundling up after Christie’s strike hit the woodwork.
However, the try was disallowed after Dominic Solanke was judged to have fouled goalkeeper David Raya after bumping into him in the build-up.
As the loose ball fell into the box, Solanke came into Raya’s path and tried to press him as the stopper weakly tried to punch away. Contact seemed minimal, but then referee David Coote’s whistle blew.
Cherries boss Andoni Iraola and his assistants were furious after watching a replay in the dugout, but their appeal to the fourth official fell on deaf ears.
A delay of several minutes allowed Stockley Park referees to watch several replays of the incident, but Coote was not advised to go to his on-field monitor.
Bournemouth also felt they should have been given a penalty seconds for the disallowed goal after Philip Billing was withdrawn by William Saliba. However, VAR did not intervene and put the video team back in the spotlight.
Piers Morgan has now called for the technology to be dropped altogether.
“The VAR is so bad that even if Arsenal get a verdict our way (like just now), I still hate the damn thing because it sucks all the joy out of the game,” he wrote on X.
“Just put it away.”
Arsenal legend Ian Wright also admitted VAR should not have ruled out the goal.
“I didn’t think it was a penalty,” he said. ‘Bournemouth’s goal should have stood.’
Other social media users also had their say on the controversy.
“The implementation of VAR in the Premier League is mind-boggling,” said one. ‘The VAR is not supposed to reassess matches. It is simply intended to tell the referee if and when he has made a clear and obvious error. That’s how it works in other competitions anyway.’
Another wrote: ‘Ben White gets away with it EVERY WEEK. I’ve had enough of VAR.’
“That’s a goal all day, I have to be honest,” added an Arsenal supporter. ‘VAR a mess for everyone involved, you just have to hope it’s not your team every week.’
The VAR controversy had also struck earlier in the match after a high challenge from Christie on Saka’s knee was deemed reckless but not dangerous.
Saka broke the deadlock with Arsenal’s 16th shot of the match, with the winger dusting himself off to coolly score a penalty after Kai Havertz was felled in the penalty area.
Trossard then fired a shot under goalkeeper Mark Travers to double Arsenal’s lead, and Declan Rice added gloss to the scoreline with a third late on.
The victory means Mikel Arteta’s side move four points clear at the top of the Premier League, even though Manchester City still have two games in hand.
