Premier League Issues Two VAR Statements Following Arsenal vs West Ham Penalty Drama

The Premier League issued two statements during Arsenal’s clash with West Ham due to a series of penalty incidents in a dramatic first half.

The London derby produced seven goals before halftime, with Arsenal leading 5-2 at the break.

Gabriel Magalhaes opened the scoring for Mikel Arteta’s side, followed by Leandro Trossard’s goal.

Martin Odegaard netted his first of the season, taking a penalty handed to him by Bukayo Saka.

Kai Havertz added a fourth before West Ham responded with goals from Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson in quick succession.

Arsenal restored their dominance just before halftime when Saka converted a penalty to make it 5-2.

The high-paced first half prompted two explanations from the Premier League Match Centre account on X for the penalties awarded by referee Anthony Taylor.

The first incident involved Lucas Paqueta fouling Saka in the 32nd minute. The account stated:

“#WHUARS – 32’: The referee’s call of penalty for a foul by Paqueta on Saka was checked and confirmed by VAR, deeming the contact sufficient for a penalty.”

Fifteen minutes later, Lukasz Fabianski’s challenge on Gabriel led to another spot-kick. After a VAR check, the decision stood. The account clarified:

“#WHUARS – The referee’s call of penalty for a reckless challenge by Fabianski on Gabriel was checked and confirmed by VAR.”

The second half was far less eventful, with no goals scored and limited chances for either side.

Arsenal managed the game well but faced a potential setback ahead of their upcoming clash with Manchester United.

Gabriel was substituted at halftime for Jakub Kiwior, likely as a precautionary measure.