PGMOL contacts Arsenal to confirm 'significant' refereeing error in Gunners' home draw against Brentford
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Updated 12/02/2023 at 18:44 GMT
Arsenal dropped points in consecutive Premier League matches for the first time this season when they slipped to a home draw against Brentford on Saturday, but they have reason to be frustrated. The Bees' equaliser, scored in the second half by Ivan Toney, should have been disallowed for offside, but was permitted to stand despite a lengthy VAR review.
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Arsenal dropped points again on Saturday, slipping to a 1-1 home draw a week after their shock defeat to Everton, but they have good reason to feel a little hard done by.
The Gunners were contacted by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) which confirmed "significant" error in the awarding of Brentford's equaliser.
Despite a lengthy VAR review, the goal was allowed to stand.
Ivan Toney scored the goal, but midfielder Christian Norgaard - who floated in the cross for Toney to head home - was in an offside position.
The goal should not have stood, and Arsenal's lead should have been preserved.
PGMOL chief Howard Webb contacted the Gunners - as well as Brighton who were similarly victims of a refereeing error - to confirm the facts.
Lee Mason, the video referee on duty at the Emirates, was widely criticised for the failure to spot Norgaard's offside position.
Apparently, despite painstakingly reviewing a potential offside in the build-up, Mason failed to draw the offside lines on screen for the final Norgaard pass.
Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett called after the match for Mason to be removed from his position.
He said: "Howard Webb is now in charge of the PGMOL. One of the first things he should do is dismiss permanent VAR operator Lee Mason. This weekend, Mason lets another referee down by not disallowing the Brentford goal for offside. These are decisions that VAR should get right."
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After the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was frustrated.
He said: "I just looked back and it is offside. Have they explained why it wasn’t allowed? No. It is frustrating but they will probably give an explanation later in the week. Today we haven’t got one."
Arteta was only wrong about the time it would take for the error to be confirmed.
Of course, the PGMOL statement is of little solace to the Gunners who have now won just one point in their last two matches.
The draw against Brentford extended their lead at the top of the division to six points, but Manchester City's subsequent victory against Aston Villa on Sunday cut the deficit to three points.
It is a particularly significant error given that City travel to face Arsenal in midweek, meaning that they could be level on points at full time.
After welcoming the champions, Arsenal travel to Villa Park to face the unpredictable Aston Villa before another road trip against resurgent Leicester City at the end of the month.
Should the Gunners fail to claim the Premier League title - an honour which has eluded them for nearly two decades - eyes will inevitably be cast back to this moment in their season.
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