Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery has impressed with the Villains since joining the club, first steering them clear of relegation and into Europe, before their current run of form. A win over Manchester City in midweek gave plenty of warning to Mikel Arteta of the challenge his side would face.
An early goal from John McGinn put them on the back foot early on, with the Scottish international firing a shot on the spin beyond David Raya. The Gunners attempted to fight back, with a few chances coming and going before they got their golden opportunity late on.
A goalmouth scramble finally saw the ball land in the back of the net, seemingly completing another late comeback for the side, but VAR had a twist to follow. Kai Havertz was adjudged to have handled the ball in the lead up to the finish, though there were protests regarding the ball striking Matty Cash's hand before the forward's.
That was waved away and the goal was chalked off, leaving the Gunners empty handed from the clash and knocked off of top spot. When asked about the decision, Arteta simply repeated: "Clear and obvious," as he seemed unwilling to engage in any conversation surrounding the disallowed goal.For pundits Wright and Lineker though, it was a decision they believed was a baffling one, as the former said on Match of the Day: "This is the moment for me, the ball is so close to everybody. It has hit Matty Cash’s hand and [Kai] Havertz’s hand, but the law says ‘it can’t hit your hand anywhere if it leads to the goal and you score’. It’s the most ridiculous law."
Lineker was equally as baffled, adding: "Defenders can accidentally handball it, but the forwards can’t. Why are we trying to stop goals? The people who make the laws of the game. Why are they doing that?! It’s bizarre.” before Wright added: "It’s ridiculous. It’s the most ridiculous law in all of law, not just football. All law in the whole world."For pundits Wright and Lineker though, it was a decision they believed was a baffling one, as the former said on Match of the Day: "This is the moment for me, the ball is so close to everybody. It has hit Matty Cash’s hand and [Kai] Havertz’s hand, but the law says ‘it can’t hit your hand anywhere if it leads to the goal and you score’. It’s the most ridiculous law."
Lineker was equally as baffled, adding: "Defenders can accidentally handball it, but the forwards can’t. Why are we trying to stop goals? The people who make the laws of the game. Why are they doing that?! It’s bizarre.” before Wright added: "It’s ridiculous. It’s the most ridiculous law in all of law, not just football. All law in the whole world."
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