Arsenal are closing in on a first Premier League title for 22 years after the decision to rule out a late West Ham equaliser had huge ramifications at both ends of the table on Sunday.
Callum Wilson’s stoppage time strike looked to have given the Hammers a lifeline in the relegation battle and Manchester City hope in the title race.
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But a VAR review for a foul on David Raya rescued Arsenal and edged north London rivals Tottenham, who face Leeds on Tuesday morning Australian time, closer to survival.
Meanwhile, dropped points for Aston Villa and Liverpool has left the fight for a place in the Champions League next season open as in-form Bournemouth and Brighton close in.
Scroll down for the biggest talking points from the weekend’s English Premier League action!
‘IT’S SO WRONG’: BACKLASH TO VAR’S ‘BIGGEST MOMENT IN HISTORY’
West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo said that “the referees are confused”.
West Ham captain Jarred Bowen questioned “where is the consistency?”.
While more than 50,000 West Ham fans inside the London Stadium vented their anger at Callum Wilson’s late equaliser being ruled out by the VAR.
The general consensus among the Sky Sports panel – made up of Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Jamie Redknapp – post-game was that the right decision had been made.
The replays showed that West Ham forward Pablo had obstructed Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
But the replays also showed former Hammer Declan Rice obstructing towering centre back Konstantinos Mavropanos as well as multiple pushes and pulls as the ball was swung into the box from a corner.
The frustrations of West Ham supporters and footballs fans around the globe who despise VAR were only heightened but the fact such scrums in the penalty area have been allowed from set pieces all season.
Arsenal have been the best team in the league at it and their ability to score from set pieces has been a key reason why they are top of the league.
Arteta congratulates refs vs. West Ham | 04:39
Adding more to the frenzy was the fact that VAR panned over the replay 17 times.
It took four minutes and 17 seconds for Darren England to rule that it was a foul on Raya.
It was exactly the kind of scenario former Tottenham and Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou lamented on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast earlier this year.
The joy was sucked out of the moment for the home fans, and the length it took to reach the decision was unacceptable for a system that is supposed to quickly step in to eradicate howlers.
The Guardian’s Barney Ronay captured VAR’s impact on the modern game by writing: “The ground suddenly hushed as he turned and said: “After review, West Ham’s No 19 commits a foul …” At which point the words disappeared into a rising roar. Previous title deciders had AGÜERO and “It’s up for grabs now.” Generation digital mess gets: “And my final decision is …”
Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel was one of many who could not believe the VAR’s decision.
“That decision today, it’s so wrong on so many levels,” the former goalkeeper said on ViaPlay.
“What really makes me angry is Arsenal would never be top of the league if that’s a free kick. That’s how they’ve scored so many goals, by blocking people, holding people, doing all kinds of things.
“Then we get to this point and it takes VAR five minutes… that in itself puts so much doubt into that decision that it cannot be a free kick.
“I just don’t understand why all of a sudden that’s a free kick… it’s just crazy, so wrong on so many levels.”
Schmeichel’s former teammate Gary Neville was in the other camp, however.
On commentary for Sky Sports, Neville called it at the time “an earthquake, a tremor of a moment” and “the biggest moment in VAR history in the Premier League”.
Post-game on his podcast, Neville sided with the video referee despite the backlash.
“For Darren England, it’s all eyes on him,” he said. “At the start, we don’t know. Was it over the line? That was what I was thinking but it looked over the line and Declan Rice, as it turned out, was way behind the line.
“But then we see obviously a VAR check for a foul on the goalkeeper and I think that’s the biggest moment in VAR history in the Premier League.
“There are a lot who aren’t fans of VAR, and maybe rightly so, but it could have just made Arsenal champions, and it could have got a decision right that wouldn’t have been right.
“I was wondering whether Darren England had the courage, had the nerve to overturn, and what was he going to do in this moment. I have to say we get the luxury, and I wish all fans at home and fans in the stadium got the luxury of being able to hear them, because to be fair he was composed, he was walking through it, he was talking to the referee, he was talking to his colleague who was sat next to him, and he walked through it perfectly.
“He checked everything around it, there was a little foul by Rice behind, I think that was maybe after the Raya foul, and just the fact that Pablo just had his arm there and he wasn’t looking at the ball. He wasn’t looking to play the ball, and he was looking just to impede the goalkeeper.
“If it’s just one of those where you’re just going up as a movement, then I think maybe that’s something that he would have got away with, but that prolonged lasting arm across Raya, they have to then call it.
“Darren England made the right decision and Arsenal breathe the biggest sigh of relief, probably that those fans have breathed for a long, long time.”
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‘ARTETA DID THAT’: GUNNERS BOSS’ GAMBLE PAYS OFF
Arsenal’s demons were set to reappear at the London Stadium in a frantic finale. Runners-up for the past three seasons, Mikel Arteta’s team have wasted numerous opportunities already this season to leave City for dead in the title race.
Now, though, they appear to have scaled the final big hurdle after a hugely contentious call fell their way.
“You need a lot of courage and bravery to stand out and give the opportunity to the referee to have a look at the action,” said Arteta. “They were very brave.”
Two games against already-relegated Burnley and Crystal Palace, just days before the latter play in the Conference League final, separate the Gunners from glory.
And Arsenal might not even need six points with City still to travel to high-flying Bournemouth in one of their three remaining games.
Arsenal have responded in emphatic fashion since their defeat at the Etihad, not conceding a goal in the league since.
Including the two legs of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid, Arsenal have conceded once in their last five games.
After keeping another clean sheet against West Ham courtesy of VAR’s late intervention, Manchester United great Roy Keane believed Arteta’s men were deserving of praise.
“It was an emotional game. They got the job done and that is what top teams have done. We have to give Arsenal credit,” he said on Sky Sports.
Former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy wrote for the BBC, however, that Arteta almost blew it for his side with his substitutions.
Ben White had to leave the pitch injured 28 minutes in, with Arteta bringing on Martin Zubimendi – moving Declan Rice to right-back.
It did not work and at half time the Spaniard brought on Cristhian Mosquera and shifted Rice back to midfield.
Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz replaced Eberechi Eze and Zubimendi after 67 minutes, then Bukayo Saka came off for Noni Madueke with 10 minutes to go.
Taking off his attacking stars was a gamble, but the Odegaard move paid off with the Norwegian linking up with Leandro Trossard for the decisive goal.
“The life of any manager is that you don’t always get your decisions right,” Murphy wrote.
“But the mark of a good manager is if you try something and it’s not working, then you take some risks – change it up and do something else.
“Arteta did that. Three times against West Ham he made a decision with his substitutes and only the last changes he made came off, but that was what won him the game.
“His boldness, combined with Arsenal’s formidable squad strength that we have spoken about many times in the past few months, meant they could take another big step towards the Premier League title.”
Mary Fowler scores in Man City win | 00:50
‘STARTING TO LOSE PATIENCE’: SLOT SHOWERED IN BOOS
The growing frustration among the Liverpool support towards Arne Slot was in evidence as another lacklustre performance from the defending champions allowed Chelsea to snap their six-game losing streak in a 1-1 draw.
Slot’s decision to replace teenager Rio Ngumoha with Liverpool chasing a winner in the second half was met with howls of derision, while widespread boos greeted the final whistle.
“We feel it. It’s the last thing we want. For us older boys who have experienced so many good times here, it does hurt,” defender Joe Gomez said.
“If it didn’t then you shouldn’t still be here. We want to make it right.
“I guess it just is a summary of our year and it’s just a reaction to the whole year, and that’s fair enough.
“The fans pay their hard-earned money to come and watch us and they’re entitled to show their frustration, in the same way they cheer us.”
Slot also tried his best to justify the move post-game.
“[Rio Ngumoha] had a cramp perhaps three minutes before that and then I had contact with him and he said that it wasn’t an option [to continue],” Slot said.
“It makes complete sense if you take a player off who is playing well, [has] an assist, that people don’t expect you to take that player off, which wasn’t my intention to do.
“He’s a good player, but I don’t think he’s at the level yet to play at 60 or 50 per cent to then make a difference. But maybe the fans have a different opinion. They think that he would have been able to play at this level at 50 per cent or 60 or whatever percentage, but not being fit enough anymore to sprint and to make your actions.
“So, yeah, if you don’t know that and you feel like, ‘Why did you take him off?’ Then I understand that reaction. I knew at the moment his number went up that would have been the reaction. But that’s not the reason then not to do it and keep a player within the team that tells me he cannot continue.
“And after the game, I think it also makes sense because I don’t think this club should be happy with a 1-1 result against Chelsea.
“We always aim for a win, and then if we don’t win then we’re disappointed, and especially in a season where we haven’t won a lot or not as much as people expect us to do. It’s just building up frustration, and that came out probably after half-time.”
Midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was less understanding of the fans’ behaviour, however.
“We need them behind us, I think what they do is – okay, we don’t win, but we don’t really deserve this,” he told TNT Sports.
“Fans have to be behind us like 90 minutes, because when I think it was the second half, when they went behind us, we pressed them really, so we need it. Hopefully, the next few games they won’t do the same.”
Manchester United great Wayne Rooney stressed on BBC’s Match of the Day that Liverpool fans are losing patience with Slot and the players.
“They haven’t got an identity in how they play, the players don’t look like they’re interested in playing for the team and the fans are seeing that now,” Rooney said.
“Liverpool fans usually give their players and manager time, and are patient with them, but I think they are starting to lose their patience.”
Reports suggest that Slot will survive a desperately disappointing second season, thanks in large part to the credit he earned in delivering the title during his first year in English football.
The Dutchman has bemoaned the toll that injuries have taken on a short squad despite a record £450 million (A$850m) outlay in the transfer market last summer and promised big changes will be made for next season.
“I do. Not this season, by the way. This season they will have their opinion and it will not change,” he said on whether he can regain the faith of the Liverpool support.
“But if we can have the summer that we are planning to have, then I’m 100 per cent convinced that we will be a different team next season than we are now. Different in terms of results, different in how things look.”
Barcelona win La Liga title | 00:35
‘YOU NEED THE SOUL’: BOURNEMOUTH DREAM BIG
Bournemouth’s 11,000 capacity Vitality Stadium could be playing host to the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain next season after they stretched a remarkable unbeaten run since losing Antoine Semenyo to City in January to 16 games.
Semenyo’s replacement Rayan has proven another smart piece of business by the Cherries and the Brazilian struck the only goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in which both sides were reduced to 10 men.
“The second half was about the soul of the team,” Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said.
“Because it’s 10 against 10, spaces everywhere, one-against-one, duels, tired legs, at the end you need the soul when you are running out of energy.”
Bournemouth look nailed on to at least qualify for European competition for the first time in the club’s history.
The top five in the Premier League are assured of Champions League qualification, while sixth could also be enough if Aston Villa finish fifth and win the Europa League final later this month.
Four points adrift of Liverpool and Villa with two games to go, Bournemouth lead Brighton by two points in the battle for sixth.
But if they do get to the Champions League, Iraola will not be there.
It is unclear where the Spaniard will go next, but his exit at the end of the season has been confirmed.
The Cherries have won three of four matches since the news was announced.
“I felt actually that we’ve used it in a positive way,” Iraola said after the Fulham win. “Everyone is clear.”
He added: “I have no rush to make decisions. I’m so focused on these last two games. It’s massive for me personally to finish these beautiful three years in a lovely way. Then we’ll have time.
“The new players have adapted quickly. The ones with us three seasons, they know what we need from every game. We know each other. This core group of 10, 12 players who have been here three seasons have helped us massively – and the new players also.
“Today was a very important step forward but we still have to get more points.”
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