Controversial VAR decisions boost Arsenal and Celtic in title races
Arsenal and Celtic have both benefited from highly controversial stoppage-time video assistant referee decisions to maintain their respective championship pushes this week.
The Gunners secured a crucial 1-0 Premier League victory on Sunday after West Ham United saw a late equalising goal ruled out for a foul by Pablo on goalkeeper David Raya.
That contentious call kept the English title destiny firmly in the North London club’s hands, while concurrently plunging the Hammers deeper into relegation trouble.
A similarly dramatic and divisive scenario unfolded in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night involving the Glasgow heavyweights.
Last-gasp drama in Scotland
With just eight seconds remaining in added time, technology intervened to penalise Motherwell’s Sam Nicholson for a handball inside the penalty area.
Kelechi Iheanacho stepped up to convert the resulting spot-kick with the final action of the game, snatching a vital 3-2 victory for the reigning Scottish champions.
Consequently, Martin O’Neill’s men now require only a standard victory against Hearts at Parkhead this Saturday to secure the league crown, avoiding the need for a three-goal winning margin.
Public sentiment and backlash
These high-profile incidents have reignited fierce debate regarding the implementation of video review, particularly when marginal calls favour traditional giants.
Speaking on Match of the Day, pundit Danny Murphy suggested that neutral fans are actively rooting against Mikel Arteta’s side due to their perceived reliance on physical set-piece tactics.
“The controversy and discontent around West Ham not being given the goal is because it’s Arsenal.”
“They can’t be held accountable for decisions in the past. Just because it’s Arsenal we shouldn’t get it distorted.”
North of the border, similar public sentiment sees many neutrals hoping Hearts can finally shatter a long-standing Old Firm duopoly not broken since Sir Alex Ferguson triumphed with Aberdeen in 1985.
Has technology improved the game?
Supporters were initially promised that the introduction of video technology would permanently eradicate bitter arguments over contentious officiating errors.
Instead, the noise surrounding these critical refereeing moments has only amplified, with fans now aggressively scrutinising both the on-field official and the digital assistants.
However, it remains vital to remember that the pre-technology era was also frequently marred by intense anger directed at match officials over game-defining human errors.