Howard Webb: Disallowed West Ham goal vs. Arsenal 'a good use of VAR', 'clear and obvious'

AFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsThe Sadness of Raheem SterlingWhy Alonso Could Suit ChelseaKinsky's World-Class SavesHoward Webb: Disallowed West Ham goal vs. Arsenal ‘a good use of VAR’, ‘clear and obvious’West Ham had an equaliser disallowed against Arsenal for a foul on Raya Alex Pantling/Getty Images Share articleHoward Webb says the correct decision was made to rule out a West Ham United equaliser in Arsenal’s crucial 1-0 victory on Sunday due to a “clear and obvious” foul on goalkeeper David Raya. Arsenal took a giant stride towards the Premier League title thanks to Leandro Trossard’s winner on Sunday but not before a late moment of controversy at the London Stadium. Callum Wilson appeared to have salvaged a point for West Ham in their bid to avoid relegation but a lengthy VAR intervention eventually concluded that Pablo had held Raya with his right arm inside a crowded penalty area. Over four minutes were needed to reach the decision after VAR Darren England had instructed referee Chris Kavanagh to review the incident at the pitchside monitor, but Webb is adamant his officials were justified to chalk off a goal that might have changed the course of the title race. “Is it a foul on the goalkeeper? Categorically, yes,” said Webb, chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) during the latest episode of Mic’d Up, a programme aired by the Premier League’s broadcast partners, on Tuesday. “We’ve said all season that if a goalkeeper is impeded by an opponent grabbing or holding their arms and therefore they can’t do their job, they’ll be penalised. We’re not just talking about contact with goalkeepers, we’re talking about a specific type of contact when the goalkeeper’s arms or hands are being interfered with, stopping them doing their job. “So when you see the best angle on this, you’ll see that that’s what happens from Pablo. And on the video, it’s clear and it’s obvious, and it happens early. And even though it’s not clear and obvious to the referee because he’s got a huge group of players in a penalty area, and it’s difficult to see, when the VAR sees this, of course, they have to get involved.” Criticisms of the decision have largely been focused upon an apparent absence of consistency, with several other holding offences noted as Arsenal defended the 95th-minute corner. Martin Odegaard and Jean-Clair Todibo were seen grappling, before Trossard, with his back to goal, held Pablo around his waist ahead of the West Ham striker then holding down Raya. Declan Rice also had his arms around Konstantino Mavropanos, West Ham’s defender, as Arsenal attempted to cling to their advantage. The latest episode of Mic’d Up relayed the audio of Kavanagh and England speaking at the monitor, with the referee concluding that he did not think “there’s much in (Trossard’s challenge) at all” and that Rice’s holding of Mavropanos came after Raya had first been fouled. “When they’re trying to identify what should be penalised, they’re looking for situations that are impactful,” added Webb. “They’re looking for mainly those situations which prevent the player from doing their job, moving, and particularly when that impacts their ability to play the ball. “A key player in this moment, of course, is the goalkeeper, who has got a unique ability to use his hands. And in what we see in this situation, different to the other situations around the penalty area is that the goalkeeper can’t do that job because of that very clear action by the attacker, preventing him from putting his arm up. “There are other pieces of contact from other players, from Arsenal players too, but the most significant contact undoubtedly is that on the goalkeeper. Stops him from doing something pretty routine of catching the ball. The arm’s across the neck, it’s on his arm. He can’t put his arms up, and we’ve said that we’ll penalise that. And we’ve been consistent in that particular aspect.” West Ham’s disallowed goal raised broader questions about the actions of players at set-pieces. In a season where the value of dead-ball situations has climbed, referees have faced challenges on which offences, whether from attackers or defenders, to punish. This season began with Webb vowing to award more penalties for grappling at set-pieces but an early clamp-down has given way to what PGMO’s chief accepts have been missed incidents. “We’ll continue consulting, but certainly, we need to be vigilant,” he said. “We need to identify those clear actions that are impactful. We’ve done better this year. We’ve penalised more holding penalties than we did last year, but we’ve missed some as well. “We’ve missed some holding situations. Not like this (foul on Raya), though, where the goalkeeper’s arms are being interfered with. This is different, and this is why this one is a clear offence and a good use of VAR. “ Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms