West Ham: Match of the Day call on ex-official to explain Arsenal controversy in unprecedented action
West Ham United saw a late equaliser controversially ruled out by VAR against Arsenal.
Leandro Trossard looked to have secured all three points for the Gunners – and indeed ultimately did – when his strike found the bottom corner with seven minutes to spare.
That was until Callum Wilson came on and smashed in a volley after a chaotic corner to seemingly snatch a point at the London Stadium.
It wasn’t to be for Nuno Espirito Santo as VAR sent on-field official Chris Kavanagh to the pitchside monitor, and he ruled it out.
West Ham were fuming with the call in Arsenal’s favour, with Match of the Day now seeking to explain the call in East London.
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Ex-Premier League official Darren Cann explains West Ham vs Arsenal decision
The Irons held out for so long in E20 and were unfortunate not to take the lead when Mateus Fernandes ran through on goal.
A difference of 17 league places ultimately showed as they were awarded for creating chances and maintaining possession throughout the 90 minutes.
| Stat | West Ham | Arsenal |
| Possession (%) | 36 | 64 |
| Expected goals | 1.15 | 1.18 |
| Shots | 9 | 15 |
| Big chances | 2 | 3 |
| Accurate passes | 187 | 416 |
That can’t take away from the fact that the claret and blue outfit feel robbed by Wilson’s late strike being ruled out.
The argument is that there were multiple fouls going on at once, so why should the Hammers be punished for just one of those?
To help explain the decision, Match of the Day called on former assistant referee Darren Cann to offer his insight.
He said: “When the corner comes across, we see a challenge with lots of players engaging.
“In particular, we see Pablo with his arm across David Raya, but also crucially holding his arm as well, impeding him so he actually can’t catch the ball.
“From the reverse angle, we also see that [Jean-Clair] Todibo has got hold of Raya’s shirt, so two West Ham players, unfortunately, are fouling the keeper. One is holding his arm, and another is holding his shirt.
“While it wasn’t picked up on field, understandably, it had to be reviewed by VAR because a goal resulted and the correct decision was made. It is a foul on the goalkeeper.”
The late call handed Arsenal a win over West Ham and has certainly ruffled some feathers, regardless of how it can be explained.
Shay Given furious with David Raya controversy
You would bet that former Newcastle United and Manchester City shot stopper Shay Given would be in full agreement with Cann.
Typically goalkeepers hack each other as part of their union, even when the rest of the footballing world hold a different opinion.
That certainly isn’t the case with this latest decision, with Given left genuinely annoyed that Raya was awarded a foul.
He suggested that Arsenal have done the same thing all season and has demanded consistency from Premier League officials.
He said: “The thing that grates me is that we’ve seen on numerous occasions with Arsenal this season, goalkeepers getting blocked off, defenders getting blocked off and the goal stands.
“A couple that stand out are the [Altay] Bayindir one at Old Trafford, I think Emi Martinez got an elbow to the face. I think everyone’s frustrated about the consistency of the refereeing decisions.”
That sums up the feeling of the wider footballing space, even if Cann has offered a reasoned explanation on Match of the Day.