'Arsenal would never be top if that’s a free-kick!' - Furious Peter Schmeichel blasts officials over 'so wrong' decision to disallow West Ham's late equaliser against the Gunners

Speaking on Viaplay's post-match coverage, Schmeichel did not hold back in his assessment of the officiating that ultimately helped Arsenal secure a 1-0 win at the London Stadium. The Gunners have maintained their title push, but the result was overshadowed when West Ham saw a late Callum Wilson strike ruled out. Referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR official Darren England disallowed the goal after deeming that Pablo had fouled goalkeeper David Raya. This sparked outrage from the Danish icon, who accused the league leaders of using identical physical tactics without penalisation.

The core of Schmeichel's frustration stemmed from the five-minute VAR review and what he perceived as blatant inconsistency. Fuming at the decision, he stated: "What really makes me angry is that 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. And then we get to this point, it takes VAR five minutes, Darren England the VAR, it takes five minutes. He starts it over again and starts it over again and again… that in itself puts so much doubt into that decision that it cannot be a free-kick. I think it’s so wrong. I just don’t understand why all of a sudden that’s a free-kick, because it’s not been for any teams all the way throughout the season. All this, it’s just crazy. And that decision today, it’s just so wrong on so many levels."

The stakes of this disallowed goal are astronomical for both ends of the table. Following the victory, Arsenal now sit top of the Premier League with 79 points from 36 matches. Crucially, the decision keeps them five points ahead of reigning champions Manchester City, who have 74 points but hold a game in hand. Conversely, the ruling was devastating for West Ham. The Hammers find themselves languishing in 18th place with 36 points from 36 games, meaning this lost point could ultimately condemn the club to relegation as they fight desperately for survival.

The title race now enters a dramatic finale. Arsenal have just two fixtures remaining, hosting Burnley at the Emirates on May 15, before visiting Crystal Palace on May 24. Meanwhile, City host Palace on Wednesday, before facing Chelsea in the FA Cup final on May 16, and then concluding their league campaign with fixtures against Bournemouth on May 19 and Aston Villa on May 24.