VAR could not intervene in Arsenal’s equalizer during the north London derby.
Son Heung-min had initially put Tottenham Hotspur ahead at the Emirates Stadium, but Arsenal managed to equalize through a corner. ..Continue Reading
However, the goal was contentious, as Arsenal should not have been awarded the corner in the first place.
The final touch came from Leandro Trossard, but this was missed by the on-pitch officials. Replays confirmed it should have been a goal kick for Spurs.
VAR cannot step in for such situations as it is only allowed to call the referee’s attention in specific scenarios.
When a goal is scored, VAR can only review the attacking possession phase that led to the goal, starting with the immediate phase—in this case, the corner kick.
Therefore, the corner and the resulting goal for Arsenal remained valid.
Spurs fans were left furious on social media, and one posted: “I truly believe VAR should be checking if corners are corners. Super quickly while corner taker strolls over to take or if a goal is scored…”
“It’s ridiculous VAR can’t intervene and deny a corner, which will almost always lead to a goalscoring opportunity, if incorrectly given. Again makes you wonder what’s the point in VAR,” a second sighed. While a third posted: “That wasn’t a corner na. Came off Trossard. Why wasn’t it checked?”
“What is the point of VAR if they won’t help with stupid decisions,” a fourth fumed. And another added: “Would be great if VAR could step in with wrongly awarded corner decisions…”
