Keown calls Arsenal’s VAR check “ridiculous”; the BBC’s rules expert says Havertz should have had a penalty anyway

Arsenal went into the international break top of the Premier League after another 1-0, but the talk after the Hull game was about the VAR monitor. Martin Keown called the process “ridiculous”. The BBC’s rules expert says Arsenal should have had a penalty anyway.

Keown: “He should never have been asked to go to the VAR monitor”

Martin Odegaard’s 72nd-minute goal settled a flat game at the Emirates. Earlier, Kai Havertz had his shirt pulled by Hull’s Nobel Mendy, and referee Farai Hallam was sent to the monitor by VAR Michael Oliver. The home crowd cheered when Hallam began to describe the foul, then fell silent when he ruled Havertz offside.

Keown, on commentary for talkSPORT, was furious, as talkSPORT reported. “He should never have been asked to go to the VAR monitor, should he,” Keown said. “They should have determined that already if he was offside. That’s ridiculous.” He added: “Wouldn’t you have decided all of that in the VAR room before you ask the referee to go and look at it?”

The rules expert: it was a penalty

The BBC’s football rules expert, Dale Johnson, went further and argued the offside was irrelevant. He said: “A player who is in an offside position only becomes active when they commit an offside offence. Havertz did not commit an offside offence, and this should have been a spot-kick to Arsenal regardless of the offside.”

The two views are not identical. Keown objects to the process, which sent a referee to a monitor to be told the opposite of what the crowd expected. Johnson objects to the outcome. Both leave Arsenal with a grievance they did not need to carry, because Odegaard’s goal made it irrelevant.

A habit under Arteta

The BBC’s reporter at the game noted that it was Arsenal’s 34th 1-0 win under Mikel Arteta, and that no team has won more 1-0 games since he was appointed in 2019. It also equalled their best start to a Premier League season under the Spaniard, 27 points after 10 games, which they also reached in 2022-23. The Gunners have won their past 10 home games in all competitions and kept eight clean sheets in that run.

It also sits neatly with the argument Jamie Carragher made last week that Arsenal’s back four was nearing the Adams era, a point we covered here. Winning narrowly and keeping the door shut is a recognisable method.

City’s slide changes the picture

The result looks bigger because of what happened later in the day. Manchester City lost 3-1 at Nottingham Forest, their third straight league defeat, and sit six points behind Arsenal. Sky Sports had Jamie Redknapp and Micah Richards discussing whether City can still mount a challenge. Only two teams have been as far behind as City at this stage and still won the title, Manchester United in 2002-03 and City themselves in 2013-14.

That history gives Maresca’s side some hope. It does not make Arsenal’s lead any smaller, and it is why Hull’s non-penalty will fade from the conversation quickly. Pundits can argue about a penalty that never came, but Arsenal’s more important argument is the table, and it currently reads in their favour.