September 06, (THEWILL) – The English Premier League and the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have published audio from the VAR review that overturned a penalty during Arsenal’s 3-1 victory against Manchester United on Sunday.
With the teams level at 1-1, Arsenal were initially awarded a penalty when Kai Havertz fell in the area under pressure from Aaron Wan-Bissaka. However, referee Anthony Taylor reversed his decision after being advised by VAR Jarred Gillett to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor.
Footage from the review conversation reveals Gillett telling Taylor that Wan-Bissaka had not made contact with his right foot and that there was only minimal contact from Havertz’s left foot as he continued his run. After watching replays, Taylor agreed there had been no foul, commenting that Havertz had kicked Wan-Bissaka’s leg and that the United defender had not made a challenge.
PGMOL Chief Howard Webb praised the intervention, saying it was a good use of VAR technology. He agreed it was an obvious error by Taylor and that Gillett gave calm and concise advice to prompt a review. Arsenal went on to seal a 3-1 victory after late goals from Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus. Manchester United had a last-minute equaliser ruled out for offside after a VAR check on Alejandro Garnacho.
The published audio provides a fascinating insight into the VAR review process and how officials communicate to overturn key decisions. It shows the system working effectively to correct a mistaken penalty award and arrive at the right outcome. While this is positive, the question is will faulty VAR calls also get published?
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
