Manager Mikel Arteta expressed anger and deemed the VAR decision to award Newcastle’s goal in the 11th round of the Premier League as humiliating.
“We need to talk about the result and how the VAR allowed the goal, and it’s unbelievable. I feel ashamed,” Arteta said after the defeat at St James’ Park. “But I have to stand up to protect the club and ask for help because this goal being allowed is a disgrace. It’s a genuine disgrace.”
Yesterday, the “Gunners” ended their unbeaten run in the Premier League with a controversial goal by Anthony Gordon in the 64th minute. Joe Willock desperately attempted to keep the ball in play near the left corner flag, delivering it into the penalty area where Joelinton contested an aerial ball with defender Gabriel Magalhaes, and Gordon slotted the ball into the empty net.
VAR intervened, and the situation was thoroughly reviewed with three potential grounds for disallowing the goal, ranging from whether Willock had let the ball go out of bounds, whether Joelinton had pushed Gabriel, or the possibility of Gordon being offside. Ultimately, Newcastle’s goal was awarded despite the vehement protests from Arsenal.
Arteta emphasized that there is more than one reason to consider Newcastle’s goal invalid and continued to express his frustration with the quality of Premier League referees. “We put in so much effort, and it’s so difficult to compete at this level,” he continued. “And this is an absolute disgrace. Once again, I feel ashamed; I’ve been in England for over 20 years, and this is not up to the standard of the world’s best league. I apologize.”
When asked to clarify which of the three potential grounds for disallowing Gordon’s goal VAR could have used to overturn the decision, the Spanish coach responded: “The question is not whether it’s a goal or not; it’s simply that it’s not a valid goal.”
Last season, Premier League referees made mistakes that disadvantaged Arsenal in four of the five games where they dropped points. This included VAR referee Lee Mason forgetting, or not drawing, the offside line in a contentious Ivan Toney goal in a 1-1 draw at Emirates Stadium in February 2023. Following that match, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) acknowledged the error in favor of Arsenal.
When asked about possibly receiving further apologies from the Premier League authorities, Arteta evaded the question: “Now I have to stand here and explain that we lost three points today. Do you know what that means? Everything is just too difficult. This competition is too tough, with too much risk. It’s truly shameful.”
Regarding this controversial goal situation, David Raya believed that the ball had gone out of bounds when he was on the field. However, after reviewing the video footage in the dressing room, the Spanish goalkeeper felt that Joelinton pushed Gabriel with both hands, while the offside call remained unclear. “But the ball going out, and the foul was clear. This is a significant decision that cost us valuable points,” Raya emphasized.
On the opposing side, Coach Eddie Howe believed that Newcastle’s goal was valid and even claimed that Arsenal was fortunate with another contentious decision in the first half when Kai Havertz was not sent off. In the 37th minute, the German midfielder made a dangerous two-footed challenge on Sean Longstaff near the touchline on the left flank, sparking a confrontation between both teams. However, referee Stuart Attwell only showed a yellow card to Havertz and even cautioned Gordon, Longstaff, and Fabian Schar on Newcastle’s side for their reactions.
