Ian Wright has taken to the social media platform X to express his strong belief that VAR made an incorrect decision in allowing the goal to stand during the recent Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal. In this clash, Arsenal experienced their first loss of the season, falling 1-0 to the Magpies at St James’ Park.
The controversial goal was scored by Anthony Gordon in the 65th minute, and it raised eyebrows as the ball seemed to have gone out of play before Jacob Murphy delivered it. Additionally, there were concerns about a potential foul by Joelinton on Gabriel Magalhaes and a possible offside situation. However, the VAR officials determined that there were no infringements.
Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, expressed his frustration and criticized both VAR and the referees, deeming the situation an “absolute disgrace.” The Gunners supported Arteta’s strong remarks in a statement. Nevertheless, some pundits believed that Arteta went too far with his public criticism. On Twitter, Wright expressed his frustration, saying, “I’m fed up with people claiming this isn’t a foul.” He was joined by former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, who also indicated that the referee had made an incorrect decision.
Are Arsenal taking it too far?
They performed quite poorly against the Magpies, and it seems that the VAR event is taking the focus away from them even if it undoubtedly had a significant impact on how the game turned out.
Without a doubt, the VAR erred in this case, but Arteta’s scathing critique and the club’s open support for him also don’t leave a positive impression.
Arsenal has now lost two straight games. On Wednesday, they take on Sevilla in the Champions League.
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