VAR took just seven seconds to determine that Brighton's controversial penalty against Arsenal was justified, with PGMOL chief Howard Webb claiming it was a valid decision.
With Arsenal leading 1-0 and about to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool, Joao Pedro and William Saliba collided in the penalty area while Anthony Taylor awarded a penalty despite the Gunners' defender touched the ball.
The VAR confirmed the decision to award the penalty and Pedro scored the penalty to give Brighton a 1–1 draw.
After the match, Mikel Arteta was “very disappointed” not only with the decision to award the penalty due to Saliba's touch, but also with the time it took the video referee to reach a decision.
“If you look at the incident, the distance, the player, Joao Pedro touching the ball, Saliba touching the ball, you see contact there.”
Asked if he thought VAR should have overturned the decision, he replied: “If I expected it? I checked it and after three seconds they said they had already checked it. It seems quick.”
The latest episode of Match Officials Mic'd Up shows VAR Darren England taking just seven seconds between announcing he was looking at the incident and then confirming to referee Taylor that he had made the right call.
Speaking on the programme, Webb agreed with the decision to award the penalty, claiming Saliba's touch on the ball was irrelevant as the ball hit the defender.
According to Webb, Saliba “didn't play” the ball despite the contact and Pedro “may have” regained possession despite Saliba's intervention by taking the ball away from the Brighton striker.
“It's a late contact from someone who didn't play the ball himself,” Webb argued. “The ball hit him, but he didn't play it. If you break it like that, it's a foul.”
Trying to justify the correct decision, Webb argued that Arsenal were handed a similar penalty in the same match last season, when Gabriel Jesus was awarded a penalty despite Tariq Lamptey touching the ball moments before bringing him down last April.
“Jesus still moved towards that ball the same way Pedro would have moved towards that ball,” Webb claimed. “There are similarities in terms of that touch. Yes, that touch took place, but that does not detract from the awarding of a penalty in either case. They are both penalties.”
The timing – a transcription
CONTACT: Joao Pedro collides with William Saliba
Four seconds later: Anthony Taylor blows his whistle to give the penalty. He says: “He heads with his head. A penalty is the decision on the pitch.”
Five seconds later: VAR says: “I control the penalty decision on the pitch.”
A second later: VAR says: “Clear. Clear penalty. Head on head.”
Six seconds later: VAR says: Confirming the penalty decision on the pitch, just check the APP (Offensive possession phase)
VAR then checks whether there has been a foul on Gabriel in the run-up from Yankubah Minteh, and then checks whether Joao Pedro has handballed it.
A minute later, when the VAR looks again at the Pedro-Saliba incident and sees no touch on the ball by Saliba, the VAR says: “Confirms the on-field decision on a penalty. Check completed.”
Webb's judgment complete
PGMOL chief Howard Webb:
“I can't think of anything like that, that doesn't mean it's wrong. It means it's unusual. What you see in this situation is two players going for a ball in the air. Pedro taps the ball up, he and Saliba go towards the ball and Pedro heads the ball to Saliba. Saliba does not head.
“Saliba lets the ball hit his head and then it goes into Pedro's head. He gets too late to Pedro, who goes down.
“It's a late contact from someone who didn't play the ball himself. The ball hit him, but he didn't play it. And Pedro goes down.
“If you break it down like that, it's a foul. I know opinions are divided, but I've heard a lot of people see it that way: it's a late touch from a player who hasn't managed to to play the ball and has made contact with the player in the penalty area.
“If he heads the ball first to that loose ball and there is a collision, I have no problem with that and then there is a collision. That is not what happened.”
“Pedro gets there first and heads it to Saliba. Saliba goes into Pedro, the ball goes over his head, but he then goes into Pedro.[‘s path].
“That touch of the ball does not negate the possible award of a penalty. We have seen other examples where the ball can hit a player, but there is still heavy contact on the follow-up action and it is a penalty.”
“If a player plays the ball away neatly or heads it away, you look at something else. That is not what happens here.
“Pedro heads the ball to Saliba, who goes into Pedro and knocks him down. For that reason, this is a very defensible penalty.”
Were Arsenal rightly or wrongly awarded a similar penalty against Brighton last season?
Webb and Mic'd Up Match Officials host Michael Owen then discussed a similar incident between these two teams last season.
Last April, Arsenal were awarded a penalty at Brighton, where Tariq Lamptey touched the ball and then brought down Gabriel Jesus. The VAR checked the decision and agreed to the call on the pitch.
“How ironic that it's the same two teams in the same two games at the same place,” Webb said.
“This was given as punishment to Arsenal – fully accepted as such – because they saw Jesus hit the ball. Yes, the ball hits Lamptey's leg, but that follow-up action brings him down.
“Jesus still moved on that ball, in the same way as Pedro would have moved on that ball. There are similarities in terms of that touch, yes that touch took place, but it does not in either case result in the award of a penalty nullified. They are both penalties.”
Webb discusses more incidents on Match Officials Mic'd Up
Howard Webb also looked at five other Premier League incidents on the latest edition of Match Officials Mic'd Up. Play the videos below to hear his thoughts…
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