Premier League Awards: Has VAR handed Arsenal the title?
Premier League Awards: Has VAR handed Arsenal the title? Our Premier League Awards celebrate the best – and worst – of the weekend’s action, featuring Arsenal’s VAR salvation and Jeremy Doku. Moment of the Week Well, there can only be one.
The entire outcome of the Premier League title race might just have been decided in the final seconds at West Ham, with a decision that Gary Neville called the ‘biggest moment in VAR history’. Callum Wilson appeared to have scored a stoppage-time equaliser for West Ham against Arsenal, a goal with massive implications for both teams. Drama ensued, with the goal eventually ruled out after a lengthy VAR review.
Arsenal were insistent there was a foul on David Raya, while West Ham hit out at the lack of consistency as loud boos rang around the London Stadium. Raya did appear to be fouled in the build-up, though it looked like just one incident in a penalty box packed with infringements from both sets of players. The consequences are massive.
Who knows the impact that relegation will have on West Ham, with a fuming Jarrod Bowen conceding it will be ‘tough’ for his team now. For Arsenal, it’s a gigantic step closer to a first Premier League title since 2004. Two more wins will crown the Gunners as champions.
An honourable mention for Brighton’s celebrations against Wolves. Amid the pressures of the Premier League, it’s easy to forget that these clubs are built on real people with real issues. Lewis Dunk and Yankuba Minteh both paid tribute to Alfie Burrows, the son of kitman Alex, who is currently recovering from surgery on a brain tumour.