Arsenal v West Ham: Ex-referee shocked by Craig Pawson after Emirates incident
Craig Pawson was at the centre of controversy as West Ham beat Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates on Saturday.
The Hammers took the lead in the 44th minute on 22 February through a Jarrod Bowen header from close range and held onto their lead.
That strike proved to be the only goal despite the Gunners desperately pushing for a leveller to salvage their title hopes.
However, a controversial VAR incident threatened to overshadow a famous victory for the Irons.
West Ham subject to shocking decision against Arsenal
Mohammed Kudus robbed Lewis-Skelly of the ball and would have the chance to double the Hammers’ lead with David Raya in no man’s land.
However, the Gunners star brought him down just after the halfway line with referee Pawson initially handing out a yellow card.
The decision was changed to a red card upon review and former Premier League referee Mark Halsey was shocked, in the Sun on Sunday (page 63, 23 February), he said:
“I’m surprised referee Craig Pawson did not initially show Lewis-Skelly a red card.
“It was a clear example of denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.”
West Ham can kick on after Arsenal win
The Hammers have continued to struggle since Graham Potter was appointed to replace Julen Lopetegui in January.
The former Chelsea man had only led the Irons to one win in six matches since he took over from the Spaniard and his side find themselves 16th in the Premier League.
| Premier League | Played | GD | Points |
| 16. West Ham | 26 | -17 | 30 |
| 17. Wolves | 26 | -18 | 22 |
| 18. Ipswich | 26 | -30 | 17 |
However, his side looked confident at the Emirates Stadium and could have increased their lead with the Gunners struggling to find their firepower.
The East London outfit needs to use this result as a springboard to better their form and finish the season strongly.
The 49-year-old will hope for a positive run in fixtures against Leicester (27 February), Newcastle (10 March), Everton (15 March), Wolves (1 April) and Bournemouth (5 April) before his side face champions-elect Liverpool on 12 April.
It has been a dismal season at the London Stadium but if the club can end the campaign well then they will be full of confidence heading into next season.
Then the Irons can go again in their pursuit of European qualification with Potter having fully implemented his methods at Rush Green and bedded in their new signings during the summer.