Penalty despite an offside position: ‘ridiculous’ incident involving Kai Havertz causes a stir in the Premier League

Arsenal had to work hard for their deserved Premier League win over Hull City, but a decision involving Kai Havertz sparked heated debate afterwards. The Germany international should have been awarded a penalty under the rules, despite being in an offside position.

Shortly before half-time, Havertz received a perfectly weighted pass through a gap in the defence, only for Hull defender Nobel Mendy to pull his shirt and bring him down. At the request of VAR Michael Oliver, referee Farai Hallam reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor. Hallam ruled out a foul because Havertz had been in an offside position and awarded the visitors a free-kick.

Hallam explained over the stadium microphones that Havertz would have deserved a penalty but that he had ruled against it because of the offside position. The decision infuriated long-serving former Gunners player Martin Keown. "He should never have been asked to go to the VAR monitor, should he?" he said on talkSPORT, adding: "They should already have established whether he was offside. It's ridiculous. (…) Shouldn't they have sorted all that out in the VAR room before asking the referee to look at it? It's ridiculous. I'd really like to know the true story behind it."

But neither Keown nor the officiating team of Hallam and Oliver apparently knew that Havertz should indeed have been awarded a penalty. Under the rules, his offside position was irrelevant in this case.

Lesser-known rule: Why should Kai Havertz have been awarded a penalty?

Rules expert Dale Johnson explained to the BBC: "A player who is in an offside position only becomes active when he commits an offside offence," he said. "Kai Havertz must have attempted to play the ball or challenged an opponent for it – otherwise, Nobel Mendy's shirt pull takes precedence. The foul comes before any possible offside offence."

A foul takes precedence over offside if the fouled player has not actively become involved in play. Havertz had not done so: Mendy brought him down immediately after the pass. Johnson pointed to a match between Newcastle United and AFC Bournemouth two seasons ago. Magpies defender Fabian Schär was in an offside position following a free-kick cross from outside the penalty area, but did not actively become involved before being brought down inside the box. After a VAR review, the Swiss player was awarded a penalty.

Arsenal had little reason to dwell on the controversy. Martin Ödegaard scored the deserved winner in the 72nd minute, extending the league leaders' advantage over second-placed Manchester City to six points. Fabian Hürzeler's surprise side Brighton & Hove Albion can close the gap to five points and move ahead of the Sky Blues with a win over Brentford on Sunday (3pm), after City suffered their third successive league defeat against struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

He did not know the rule either: How did Arteta react to the Havertz incident?

At the subsequent press conference, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta was relaxed. Asked about the Havertz controversy, the Spaniard said with a smile: "I don't know, I haven't watched the incident again – and I deliberately haven't done so, so that I don't have to lie to you."

Arteta did not know the rule either: "I was surprised, because when they sent the referee to the monitor, the people on the bench told me it was a clear penalty because he (Mendy; editor's note) pulled his shirt. I've now heard that they decided not to give a penalty because Kai was offside in his starting position. So I don't know how to interpret that. I'm sure they'll clarify it." So far, neither the FA nor refereeing body PGMOL has issued an official statement on the incident.

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Kai Havertz well clear at the top of an unwanted statistical ranking

Havertz has also developed an unwanted habit. The former Leverkusen player has been caught offside 15 times this season, comfortably more often than any other Premier League player. Dominic Calvert-Lewin ranks second, having been flagged offside eight times.

Even so, Havertz has remained injury-free and is an undisputed regular under Arteta, with four goals and one assist in 15 appearances. His status with the national team is unchanged, too. Jürgen Klopp sees him as the first option for the striker position. Alongside Havertz, goalscorers Younes Ebnoutalib (Eintracht Frankfurt) and returning player Niclas Füllkrug (SV Werder Bremen) have also been called up for the upcoming training camp.