A Premier League panel has unanimously ruled that the penalty awarded to Sunderland against Arsenal was incorrect, vindicating Mikel Arteta’s furious reaction to the decision.
Referee John Brooks awarded Sunderland a penalty after penalising Arsenal defender Ezri Konsa for holding Dan Ballard during a corner in the September 12 meeting.
David Raya saved Enzo Le Fee’s resulting spot-kick as Arsenal went on to win 2-0.
Arteta had strongly contested the decision after the match, with Arsenal subsequently contacting Pro Ref to seek an explanation.
The Premier League’s five-person Key Match Incidents panel unanimously disagreed with the on-field decision, according to ESPN.
“Although it was a very untidy challenge in which Konsa initially had arms around Ballard, Ballard engages in a holding action which pulls Konsa onto him so they both fall to the floor,” the panel said.
However, the panel voted 3-2 in support of VAR Stuart Attwell’s decision not to intervene, saying the incident did not amount to a clear and obvious error.
Arteta had said after the match: “[The decision] is not acceptable. I watched it 20 times and I cannot find a way to understand how they’d think to give a penalty in that situation or the way the VAR has to intervene.
“At this level with all the work we put in, this cannot happen.”
The panel is made up of three former players and coaches, one Premier League representative and one representative from Pro Ref.
Meanwhile, the panel unanimously agreed that Erling Haaland’s winner in the Manchester derby earlier this month should have been disallowed for offside.
Haaland’s goal at Old Trafford on September 13 was allowed to stand after VAR Matt Donohue and his assistant Blake Antrobus determined that the Norwegian striker was onside.
However, they failed to send referee Michael Oliver to review Enzo Fernández’s interference with play while in an offside position.
Pro Ref chief refereeing officer Howard Webb said Donohue had “tunnel vision” during the incident, with his focus appearing to be on establishing that Haaland was onside and whether Fernández had touched the ball.
Webb said Donohue’s assistants, including Antrobus, should have pulled him out of that tunnel. The pair were subsequently stood down from last weekend’s Premier League matches.
Pro Ref contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the error and promised a review of its processes following the incident.
In its summary published today, the panel said: “Fernandez is in an offside position, attempts to play the ball that is close to him, and impacts the ability of the defender and the goalkeeper to play the ball in the process.
“A VAR review should have been recommended for a missed subjective offside in the attacking possession phase.”
The panel also unanimously backed the decision to send off Manchester City’s Phil Foden in the same game for kicking out at Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.
However, the panel felt Fernandes’ actions in the incident were worthy of a yellow card.
If Oliver had not sent Foden off the field, VAR could have recommended a booking for Fernandes as part of a red-card review of Foden’s conduct.
