- Correct VAR decision for Newcastle's goal
- Arteta left red-faced
- Missed red cards for Kai Havertz and Bruno Guimaraes
WHAT HAPPENED? The Independent Key Match Incidents Panel conducted a review of the VAR decision regarding Newcastle's winning goal against Arsenal and gave their verdict that the referee and VAR were correct in awarding the goal. The ruling leaves Mikel Arteta red-faced as the manager labelled the decision by VAR officials as "embarrassing" and "a disgrace".
The panel voted 4-1 that there wasn't enough to award a foul against Gabriel, as he had made an action to play the ball before any contact. Despite this, the panel unanimously agreed that Kai Havertz should have been sent off in the 36th minute for a dangerous tackle on Sean Longstaff as they believe it was "a very dangerous challenge and the type of tackle that needs to be eradicated". Whereas, a split 3-2 decision concluded that Bruno Guimaraes' arm to the head of Arsenal's Jorginho should have resulted in a red card.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The Premier League's Independent Key Match Incidents Panel comprises five members, including former players and coaches, with a goal to provide an independent assessment of decision-making during matches.
In another case, the body ruled that the decision to award a decisive injury-time penalty to Sheffield United against Wolverhampton Wanderers was incorrect. All other refereeing decisions from the past weekend, including those in the Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea game, were deemed correct by the panel.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? VAR continues to grab headlines in both English and European football for several contentious decisions. Erik ten Hag was the latest manager to vent out his frustration about this technology as he believes that three decisions went against them in the 4-3 defeat to FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.