A recent camera angle has decisively determined whether West Ham’s initial goal against Arsenal should be considered valid.
The Hammers celebrated their first victory at the Emirates Stadium since 2015, reveling in triumph over their former captain Declan Rice, who endured a forgettable night as the Gunners’ title aspirations suffered a significant setback.
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Meanwhile, Arsenal experienced a sense of déjà vu with Tomas Soucek’s 13th-minute goal, reminiscent of Newcastle’s winning goal against them last month.
In both instances, it appeared that the ball had gone out of play before a player assisted in scoring.
In the recent case, however, beIN Sport asserts that a small part of the ball remained on the right side of the line, according to West Ham’s perspective. They argue that the match officials were justified in allowing the goal to stand.
‘You could see some of the ball so we could then make the ball exactly the size it should be in the footage and it proved conclusively (it was in),’ explained Andy Gray.
‘I guess when you see that and how much of the ball was actually over the line it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Jarrod Bowen thinks it’s out.
‘He wouldn’t know it was a tiny, tiny bit over the line.
‘It was easier to judge the Newcastle one because the ball was on the ground and the line was beside the football.
‘This one the ball is in the air and that’s what makes it more difficult to judge with the naked eye.’
HERE IT IS…
Was the ball in or out for West Ham’s opening goal against Arsenal?@Richardajkeys and Andy Gray have the answer!#beINPL #AFC #Arsenal #WHUFC pic.twitter.com/NUMRmiKQxI
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) December 30, 2023
Bowen, the focal point of the incident, confessed that he was uncertain about whether the goal should have been deemed valid. Nevertheless, he expressed relief that the decision favored his team.
He said: ‘Listen, when it happened in a split-second I knew the ball was in midair so it’s probably hard to tell at the time.
‘Obviously you don’t want it to go out, so you try to keep it in play quickly and, like I said, it’s difficult and I haven’t seen it, but I was there at the time and it’s one of those where because the ball was in the air it was hard to tell.
‘If it had been on the ground it would probably have been easier to tell.
‘All I could do was try and get it across to Tom or Mo [Kudus] and the goal was scored and it stood, so it was really, really important to get that first goal.’
