In the aftermath of yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Brentford, Mikel Arteta was adamant that the visitors’ goal should not have stood. As it turns out, he was right.
While VAR reviewed the build-up to Ivan Toney’s 74th-minute equaliser, Lee Mason, who was on duty at Stockley Park, only looked at the position of Ethan Pinnock and not that of Christian Norgaard who made the final assist after coming back from an offside position.
The result meant that Arsenal stretched their lead over Manchester City to six points rather than eight. Since then, Pep Guardiola’s side have beaten Aston Villa and head to the Emirates on Wednesday knowing a win will see them climb above the Gunners in the table for the first time in months.
It might prove to be a pivotal moment in the championship race. It might not. It’s too early to say. Either way, the gaffe has further underlined Mason’s incompetence.
Earlier this season, an independent assessment panel ruled that Mason was incorrect to advise on-field referee Paul Tierney to disallow Gabriel Martinelli’s strike against Manchester United. The Brazilian thought he’d given Arsenal an early lead in a match we eventually lost 3-1 at Old Trafford.
Arsenal weren’t the only club to suffer a significant injustice at the hands of the officials this weekend. Brighton were denied a goal in their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
While it’s too little too late for both clubs, the PGMOL have since released a statement that says:
“PGMOL can confirm its Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb has contacted both Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion to acknowledge and explain the significant errors in the VAR process in their respective Premier League fixtures on Saturday.
“Both incidents, which were due to human error and related to the analysis of offside situations, are being thoroughly reviewed by PGMOL.”
Webb, who is the PGMOL’s new chief refereeing officer, took on the role promising greater openness and transparency over decision-making.
SOURCE: arseblog.news
