Arsenal were dealt a hammer blow as they lost 3-1 to West Ham in the Carabao Cup, but the result could have ended differently after one big moment.
A bizarre own goal from Ben White saw Arsenal head into half time 1-0 down despite dominating possession and creating more, but the goal arguably should not have stood.
With no VAR in this round of the competition, a foul on goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale could not be spotted, but he was fouled by Tomas Soucek, and commentator Alan Smith highlighted this during the game.
Ramsdale unhappy with decision in defeat
Speaking on Sky Sports commentary during the game, former Arsenal striker Smith pointed out how unhappy Ramsdale was with the referee following the opening goal.
“Ramsdale wasn’t happy with the goal, he thought he was impeded in the six-yard box by Soucek. There’s a pull of his shirt. Does that affect him? Could he have got to the ball?” Smith stated.
“There’s no VAR tonight, it would be interesting to know what they would have made of that.”
Opening goal decided the game
Arsenal were particularly poor in the second half and the defeat was deserved, but this decision may have swung the momentum in West Ham’s favour.
Arsenal were the better team in the first half, and West Ham did not have a single shot beyond White’s own goal.
If the opener was disallowed, then Arsenal may have had more momentum heading into the second half, and perhaps the outcome could have been different.
Whilst it is frustrating to look back on these decisive moments which could have changed the result in an instant, the reality is that in the second half, Arsenal did not do enough to reverse the deficit.
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