VAR is once again under the microscope after Arsenal were gifted a soft penalty during their top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City.
The Gunners initially fell behind after Kevin De Bruyne latched on to Takehiro Tomiyasu’s dreadful back pass to lob Aaron Ramsdale, but Bukayo Saka levelled from the spot shortly after when Eddie Nkentiah was clipped by Ederson in the box.
But viewers, including many Arsenal fans, were surprised to see the penalty being given, with notoriously-stubborn Piers Morgan even admitting he had “no idea” why it was awarded.
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“I’m sorry that’s never a f****** penalty. They are literally never, ever given,” tweeted one fuming City supporter.
“That is such a soft pen,” said another user, while a third asked: “How has VAR not overturned that?”
“Happy it was given, but don’t think it should’ve been,” added a Gunners fan, while another agreed, saying: “Lucky pen, but City got lucky with their goal so who cares?”
Even Manchester United legend and respected Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville posted on Twitter: “Not a pen that!”
Was it a penalty? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
(Image: @piersmorgan/Twitter)
It comes after VAR officials made several high-profile blunders in the Premier League over the weekend. Referees’ chief Howard Webb called an urgent meeting at Stockley Park on Tuesday to address the situation, which arguably left public opinion of VAR at an all-time low.
The PGMOL released a statement on Sunday “acknowledging significant errors in the VAR process”, attributing mistakes to “human error”.
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