Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie Redknapp believes Arsenal were robbed by a VAR decision on Saturday.
Arsenal fell to a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa this weekend.
However, the Gunners will certainly feel that they deserved more out of the game. As quoted by the club’s official website, Mikel Arteta insisted after the match that “we deserved much more than what we had, I thought we were the better team.”
The north London club certainly had their chances to score. They were profligate in front of goal all afternoon at Villa Park, though. Whilst Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka all spurned presentable chances, many Arsenal fans felt that Martin Odegaard was particularly wasteful.
Late on in the match, though, the Gunners briefly thought that they had salvaged a point, after Kai Havertz prodded the ball over the line from close range. However, referee Jarred Gillett swiftly blew his whistle and indicated that he had spotted a handball offence.
The following VAR review showed that the ball came off Aston Villa defender Matty Cash’s arm and brushed Havertz’s hand before he stabbed it into the back of the net. By the letter of the law, it was the correct decision to chalk the strike off.
Criticised rule causes Arsenal heartbreak
Jamie Redknapp is convinced that there is a flaw in the laws of the game regarding this issue. Speaking on Sky Sports, he said, “unfortunately, it’s the rule. It’s a terrible rule…it’s ridiculous. Will the referee have seen that? I don’t believe he could’ve done…it’s a rubbish rule. How can that be handball?…it’s ridiculous, it has cost Arsenal a goal.”
It is certainly fair to question how Gillett could have spotted the infraction in real time. He was not close to the incident, had players in his way, and the whole scramble around the ball was a jumble of limbs anyway.
It is also hard to argue that Havertz gained any real advantage from the ball grazing against his hand. There was certainly nothing intentional about it, nor was his arm in an ‘unnatural position’. The rule, though, as it stands, states that no goal can stand if the ball makes contact with the goalscorer’s arm at any point, regardless of intent of advantage gained.
Gary Lineker, reflecting upon the same incident, has questioned why so much effort is going into disallowing goals.
Arsenal will feel aggrieved that this call went against them at a crucial time. Ultimately, though, the Gunners had their chances in open play to score multiple goals. Had they managed to do so, they would not now be mourning dropped points.
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