Jamie Carragher; VAR should have ruled out Arsenal’s penalty
Jamie Carragher has now expressed his opinion on whether VAR should have overturned Arsenal’s penalty against Crystal Palace this evening.
Carragher was speaking on Sky Sports Monday Night Football about Arsenal’s 1-0 triumph at Selhurst Park.
The two London clubs battled it out this evening, with a Martin Odegaard penalty kick ultimately winning the game.
The awarding of a penalty to the visitors was the first of several major discussion points in the second half.
Crystal Palace were caught off guard by a fast free kick, and Eddie Nketiah grabbed onto the through pass.
He took a touch before being hauled down by Sam Johnstone, and referee David Coote called a foul.
VAR reviewed the penalty and decided to grant it, and Jamie Carragher commented on the decision.
Bukayo Saka’s penalty-taking responsibilities were taken over by Odegaard, who made no mistake from 12 yards.
However, as Takehiro Tomiyasu rapidly realized, that was not the end of the debate.
Carragher shares whether VAR should have overturned Arsenal penalty
When asked if VAR should have urged Coote to change his decision, Carragher replied, “No, I don’t think there was enough in there for a foul.”
“They’ve obviously blocked off something in there.”
“[Thomas] Partey is not actually looking at the ball, but he doesn’t really move, and he doesn’t really push them over.”
Carragher was referring to Thomas Partey’s role in the build-up to Arsenal’s penalty, which was reviewed by VAR.
The Ghanaian midfielder is seen blocking the Crystal Palace defender, who is attempting to close down Nketiah and then collapsing.
Jamie Carragher; VAR should have ruled out Arsenal’s penalty
It would have been harsh to overturn the penalty on that basis, but not as harsh as the decision to exonerate Takehiro Tomiyasu.
The Japanese defender was booked for wasting time after taking too long over a throw-in, despite the fact that Kai Havertz held onto the ball for far longer.
He was then penalized for fouling Jordan Ayew again, despite the fact that replays proved he wasn’t holding onto the striker.
Arsenal eventually won despite Partey nearly giving away a penalty of his own in the closing seconds.
Mikel Arteta will be overjoyed to have won after such a rigorous test.
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