Chief referee Howard Webb said the PGMO would remain “vigilant” against “influential” grappling at set-pieces following a “clear and obvious” foul on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
West Ham had a 95th-minute equalizer disallowed on Sunday after referee Chris Kavanagh ruled out Callum Wilson’s shot after VAR chief Darren England recommended an on-field review.
Sky Sports’ Gary Neville described the call as the biggest in Premier League VAR history, but West Ham planned to contact the PGMO to raise concerns that the call was not “clear and unambiguous”, given that it took four minutes and 17 seconds from the time the ball crossed the line until the foul was awarded.
Umpires have been told to crack down on grappling at set-pieces this season, and Webb has promised they will continue to keep an eye on them.
Speaking on Match Officials Mic’d Up, Webb said: “We will continue to consult with stakeholders about the types of games they want to see, because we are seeing set-piece coaches bringing players together in these areas and getting more involved for marginal gains.”
“We will continue to consult, but we certainly need to be cautious. We need to identify clear actions that will have an impact.
“We did well this year, we committed twice as many holding penalties as last year, but we missed some.
“We missed some keeping situations, but it’s different when the goalie’s arm gets in the way like this one. This is different. That’s why this game was a clear violation.”
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West Ham forward Callum Wilson was disallowed the equalizer after a lengthy VAR check showed he had fouled David Raya.
There were 2 minutes and 35 seconds between Wilson’s shot and Kavanagh being sent to the monitor, and Kavanagh watched 17 replays before the goal was canceled. When the ball crossed the line, assistant referee Ian Hussin said: “I don’t see any foul on the goalkeeper.”
VAR also had to take into account the possibility of Arsenal players Leandro Trossard fouling Pablo and Declan Rice fouling Konstantinos Mavropanos in a corner.
“I don’t like Trossard not going for the ball,” assistant VAR Akil Howson said, analyzing the incident in real time. “I agree. Pablo has influence[on Raya]and other things as well. Let’s say it was a foul. So what does it say about Trossard’s actions against the same player? What does it say about Declan Rice at the back?”
England replied: “I think we’ll send him (Kavanagh) for a field review to look at a possible foul on the goalkeeper, and we’ll look at the other events as well. I think that’s the best decision in this regard.”
When Kavanagh was on the pitchside monitor, the referee said, “You can see him holding him (Raya) firmly on the other side.”
As for the possibility of a foul on Trossard, he said: “I don’t think it means much. I’m happy. Nothing like that.”
Rice’s combination with Mavropanos was also noted by England. “But the foul happened to the goalie before that,” he said, and Kavanaugh agreed.
“The most important contact is definitely with the goalie,” Webb said.
“It prevents him from being able to do something as routine as catching a ball, putting his arm around his neck, putting the ball over his arm. He can’t lift his arm, so we said we’re going to penalize him for that.”
“And we’ve been consistent on that particular aspect. We’re not just talking about players coming together. So that stands out very clearly and happens early in the sequence as well.”
“There wasn’t anything notable that happened that long before that. When you look at it, it’s a clear violation that clearly warrants a penalty.”
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Paul Merson speaks on the result of the Premier League match between West Ham and Arsenal
Webb believes VAR should have gotten involved and spent more time because there were other potential violations involved.
“Was that a foul against the goaltender? Honestly yes,” Webb said. “We have said throughout the season, including in the pre-season briefing with the players, that if a goalkeeper is interfered with by an opponent by the arm or grabbed by an opponent and is therefore unable to do his job, there will be a penalty.
“We’re not just talking about contact with the goalie, we’re talking about a specific type of contact when the goalie’s arms or hands get in the way and prevent him from doing his job.
“So if you look at the best angles of this game, you can see that’s happening with Pablo’s play. And when you look at the video, it’s clear and obvious and it’s happening early on. And even if it’s not obvious and obvious to the referee because there’s a huge group of players inside the penalty area and it’s hard to see, when VAR sees this, of course they have to get involved.
“But we hear that VAR is looking at everything else because they want to make sure that this is the only clear and obvious violation that they need to intervene.
“(It’s) really shocking. Raya couldn’t do what she normally would do in that situation, just catch the ball, punch the ball. And they stepped in and they made the right decision.”
Webb added: “VAR was a good use. It took time. You have to take your time and get it right. In this really important situation, we did that.”
Watch match officials take to the microphone on Sky Sports Premier League on Tuesday nights from 7pm
