One of the most controversial moments in Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa in their last Premier League game was when Kai Havertz’s goal for the Gunners was ruled out because of a handball in the buildup.
It was a scrappy goal, but Arsenal would not have cared as they looked determined not to lose that fixture.
However, the goal was ruled out as the ball had touched Havertz’s hands before he scored.
But Matty Cash appeared to have handled the ball first during the scrap to defend his goal and Arsenal felt they should have been awarded a penalty.
It was never given and Howard Webb has defended the referee and explained, as quoted by the Daily Mail:
‘The law states that any contact with an attacker’s hand or arm, even accidental, which then leads to a goal being scored immediately has to be penalised.
‘And this is actually a really good on-field decision by the referee, Jarred Gillett, in that respect. The law requires him to penalise when he sees that contact on Kai Havertz’s arm.
‘It’s not intentional, but it still has to be penalised. I think the idea was that if it comes off the arm, it can’t be a fair goal – that was the reason why this law came in. But we see this kind of situation leading to a goal disallowed when it hits Havertz’s arm and yet a few seconds earlier, it hits Matty Cash’s arm as well – equally accidentally – but he doesn’t get penalised.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
VAR will always make controversial decisions and we just need to work more on taking our clean chances during matches.
If we do this, we would not need help from VAR or anyone else to win games.
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Once again, VAR has not made ANY decision – the officials using the technology have!!!
Why is that SO hard to understand?
So what the PGMOL is saying now the is, ignore the initial handball by a defender, if it results in the ball hitting an attacker who then scores a goal?
If I’ve got that correct, then it makes a complete mockery of the game itself, by siding with the defender who committed the first offence!!
Strange thing for me to be saying but Webb is wrong. I bet there will be a load of “Well who are you anyway?” lol
I pasted the rule change from the 2021/22 season in the last thread on VAR. It says that an attacking player cant score himself if he has handballed. Doesnt matter whether accidental or deliberate.
So that just means the goal cant stand. Fair enough so far.
What that def does not say is that handball by a defender cant be penalised if it happened first. If it happens before the goal and before the attackers handball then it can be penalised. The ref just cant play on to the goal bcos of the rule at the top, saying attacker cant score after he handballs it.
BTW a different attacking player cd score after Havertz handballs, just not the one who handled it.
If the defender has handled it first then refs have to make a decision on whether its accidental etc or if its handball. If its handball then its a pen.
So based on what is quoted in the article Webb is talking rubbish.
Webb did say that Cash handled the ball first, but accidentally, so no offence was committed.
Yes it’s strange, when I read the article again Webb did day that.
Maybe I misread it dunno. But the 1st time I re-read it a couple of times trying to see if Webb said it was accidental and I didnt read it that way.
And the last sentence of my previous post was allowing for the possibility that Webb might have said something more about the 1st handball.
Looks clear enough now so I’m wondering hmmm. Must be getting old lol
TBH, I’m glad I didn’t have to make that call, as I’ve watched a few times and still can’t make up my mind who’s hand it hit first.
Webb was correct!! He said Cash, who accidentally handled the ball did not commit an offense, so no penalty. It would however have been a goal had it not hit Havertz’s hand after Cash’s contact.
The only offense (if you want to call it that) is by an attacking player handling the ball accidentally before himself scoring.
If the ball had broken to Nketiah, and he’d scored it would have counted, because both handballs were accidental and play would have continued.
I’m thinking that if the handballing had been reversed, and both being accidents, then it would have been an own goal.
…or a goal by Havertz.
What would expect from Howard a typical Man U supporter!
To me, VAR is another way of embracing football dictatorship. One does not not even have the right to complain or show his disartisfaction about anything in the game and if he does, he is penalized. That’s why the Refs body is an untouchable one in the game.
They are a real pain in the game.
🙄
Howard Webb’s explanations on why Karl Harvest’s equaling goal for Arsenal in Their last Epl Aston Villa away match was ruled out. But his silence nn Matty Cash’s ball handling in the box and to not give Arsenal a penalty for the ball handling is a joke and totally unacceptable.
Well, Its accidental and the correct rule applied. Both were accidental but it had to be given as handball to Haverz because HE scored. Simple!
I Thought Nketia scored after after Cash handled accidentally and then KH handled accidentally too.
It should be not a pen from Cash Mistake, nor a goal if KH is the one who scored. But Nketia goal should stand.
That’s exactly what I thought too and goal should have stood as it was nketiah who scored.
Nketiah did not touch the ball at all in this sequence. Webb did make that point.
VAR has been a disaster under the Englishman
But VAR was correct on this occasion.
Big problem is, you have to know the rules first before you have a say. The rule was correctly applied.
Just as a matter of fact Arsenal would have 0ne point less than now, if VAR hadn’t been introduced. Arsenal has gained a point through VAR. Dispels any Arsenal anti bias.