Neville: ‘Disallowing West Ham’s goal is the greatest moment in VAR history’

The decision to disallow West Ham’s stoppage-time equalizer in their Premier League match against Arsenal on Matchday 36 sparked controversy among pundits, with Gary Neville and Roy Keane agreeing, while Peter Schmeichel disagreed.

At the London Stadium on May 10, Leandro Trossard opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 83rd minute. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Callum Wilson headed the ball over the goal line, which appeared to have given West Ham a 1-1 draw. Referee Chris Kavanagh initially awarded the goal, pointing to the halfway line. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was disallowed. VAR referee Darren England asked Kavanagh to go to the off-field monitor to review the situation. After 17 camera angles and a total of 4 minutes and 17 seconds of interruption, the referee determined that Pablo had fouled David Raya, causing the ball to slip through the Arsenal goalkeeper’s hands.

“This is the biggest decision in VAR history. An earthquake, a footballing seismic event,” commented Gary Neville at the London stadium. “Arsenal’s first title in 22 years could hinge on this moment. This is one of those moments that makes Arsenal think their name is already etched in the Cup.” According to the former England defender, there are many people who dislike VAR, and they may have a point, but this technology has helped Arsenal move closer to the championship by correcting a potentially wrong decision.

In his personal podcast after the match, Neville continued to analyze the VAR team’s decision in detail. He said that, initially, even the commentators weren’t sure if the ball had crossed the line before the angles confirmed that Declan Rice couldn’t save it. According to Neville, the immense pressure was entirely on VAR referee England, who had to decide whether to overturn the on-field decision. The former England international was particularly impressed by the VAR team’s composure throughout the process. Neville revealed that he overheard the conversation between England, referee Kavanagh, and his assistants, and felt that VAR meticulously reviewed every detail before reaching a conclusion.

Neville stated that the key point was that Pablo used his hands to obstruct Raya without any intention of playing the ball. He believed that if it had been just a normal contact in an aerial challenge, West Ham could have avoided the foul. However, the fact that the player kept his hands on Raya for too long forced VAR to intervene. Roy Keane, the former Manchester United captain, also agreed with the decision: “With VAR, every contact on the goalkeeper is carefully reviewed. Don’t put your hands on the goalkeeper, and certainly don’t leave them there for three or four seconds,” he said. “There was a lot of contact in that situation, but because the goalkeeper plays such a crucial role, I think it’s a foul. West Ham were very naive. Don’t commit such an obvious foul because it will almost certainly be reviewed.”

Former midfielder Jamie Redknapp felt that VAR made a brave but correct decision. Meanwhile, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright commented that the disallowed goal was “undisputed” and believes Raya could have caught the ball had he not been obstructed. Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey also defended the VAR team’s decision: “This season we’ve seen too many controversies and inconsistencies related to shirt-pulling in the penalty area,” he told SunSport. “When the ball is crossed from a corner, almost everything happens inside the penalty area. There can be as many as 10 or 12 different fouls, but the referee will focus on the most obvious ones. It’s clear that Pablo obstructed David Raya. Not only that, Jean-Clair Todibo also pulled Raya’s shirt, causing the goalkeeper to lose his balance.” According to Halsey, VAR performed its function correctly in a situation where the referee could hardly see everything in real time. “The pressure on England and Kavanagh was enormous. This is a very important decision,” he emphasized. “But in my opinion, they made the right call.”

Conversely, Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel strongly criticized the decision to disallow West Ham’s goal. Speaking on Viaplay, the former Danish goalkeeper stated that Arsenal have benefited many times from similar disputed situations this season, so disallowing West Ham’s goal was inconsistent. Schmeichel also criticized the VAR process for taking almost five minutes. According to him, the fact that England had to review the situation repeatedly shows that the VAR team itself wasn’t sure before making the final decision. The former Man Utd goalkeeper considered
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