
Former referees and pundits have confirmed that West Ham's goal against Arsenal was correctly disallowed, despite some complaints.
Ex-refs & pundits agree West Ham goal was correctly disallowed
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There was plenty of controversy around West Ham Unitedâs late disallowed goal against Arsenal on Sunday, but much of it seemed to be based on the circumstances, rather than the decision itself.
West Ham are in desperate need of points, as they currently sit in the relegation zone. But Arsenal couldnât afford to drop any, as they push for the Premier League title.
So it was a huge call to make, yet not a particularly difficult one according to the rules.
As David Raya jumped to catch the ball from a corner, his shirt was pulled by West Hamâs Jean-Clair Todibo. Substitute Pablo Felipe then placed an arm over the top of Rayaâs body, locking his hand around Rayaâs arm, and the two West Ham players combined to prevent Raya catching the ball.
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
The ball fell to Callum Wilson, who scored, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review. Multiple former referees have since come out in defence of the final call.
âWhen you look at it, you can clearly see that Pablo has impeded Raya,â ex-ref Mark Halsey said. âYou can clearly see that. Not only that, but you can see that Todibo has got hold of Rayaâs shirt, so heâs pulling it down.
âVery difficult for Chris Kavanagh, in real time, to see that. But thatâs what VAR is there for. In my opinion, theyâve come to the correct decision, thereâs two fouls in there!â
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Some West Ham fans have pointed out that Declan Rice wrapped his arms around Konstantinos Mavropanos, arguing that a penalty should have been awarded, if not the goal.
But fellow ex-ref Dermot Gallagher points out to Sky Sports that the Raya foul occurs first.
âYou have to go in chronological order,â Gallagher said. âIf you look at it, Pablo puts his arm across Raya, he holds him, thereâs no doubt about that. If you look at the back behind that, thereâs Declan Rice engaging with Mavropanos. Is that a penalty?
âWell, if you look at it in that order, definitely Pablo goes first. At that point, Declan Rice is reaching, he hasnât got hold of Mavropanos. The first foul is, in my opinion, by Pablo.â
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Danny Murphy told the BBC that he believes some analysis of the decision has been based on the fact that itâs Arsenal involved in it, rather than objectively looking at the incident on its own merits.
âJust because itâs Arsenal, we shouldnât get it distorted,â Murphy said. âItâs a foul, and there shouldnât be any controversy to it. The only reason there is, is because itâs Arsenal.â
Former match official Darren Cain then pushed back on suggestions that the decision took too long to make, arguing that it was better to take the time to reach the right conclusion than to rush it and get it wrong.
âI think we donât want 30 seconds and then get the wrong decision,â Cain said. âYes, five minutes is a long time, but itâs such a crucial decision, that we need to get the right decision.
âIâd much rather the right decision that takes a bit longer than to take 30 seconds and get it wrong, and then the title is decided on the wrong decision. Or maybe relegation is decided on the wrong decision.â
West Ham's goal was disallowed due to a consensus among referees and pundits that it did not meet the criteria for a valid goal.
The agreement came from former referees and TV pundits who analyzed the incident.
Some fans and commentators expressed dissatisfaction with the decision, believing the goal should have stood.
The disallowed goal may affect West Ham's momentum and points in the league, as every goal can be crucial in tight matches.

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