In a dramatic first half at St James’ Park, an incident involving Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope and Coventry City’s Viktor Gyokeres became the focal point of a contentious decision during Arsenal’s 2-1 win. For context, referee Jarred Gillett first gave a penalty for Pope’s foul on Gyokeres. But following a check by VAR Darren England, that call was reversed, provoking outrage from players and commentators across the land.
The whole incident was triggered when Pope ran out and brought down Gyokeres in the Newcastle box. And what a goal Pope scored to NATO! With a quick celebration, he then used his right foot to kick the ball and redirect it into that opponent’s goal. As the slow motion replay showed, Pope’s planted foot came down on Gyokeres after the Swede had clearly played the ball. This interaction took place well after the play had developed. The referee’s original ruling of a penalty required consideration of whether there was reckless play.
VAR Intervention Changes Course of Match
Referee Jarred Gillett’s decision to award a very debatable penalty was questioned almost instantly. During the review of the incident on-field, VAR identified that Pope had touched the ball first before making contact with Gyokeres. This harsh analysis led England to suggest that Gillett check the play on the pitch-side monitor.
Howard Webb, the FIFA and US Soccer consultant tapped to serve as a major, change-bringing voice in officiating, weighed in. He immediately understood the way the problem was initially presented. He said, “At full speed, yes, it looks like a penalty, right? I mean, you can absolutely understand why the referee made that decision with what he saw on the field.”
Webb expanded on why the VAR intervention is so critical. He stressed that the slight touch on the ball became central in reversing the penalty call. He highlighted the referee missing that key touch. Sure enough, the VAR who reviewed the play confirmed that it was a clear error. Overall, I support the VAR’s intervention here. This is where the referee needs to go view the footage at the monitor, see the entire sequence of play and understand that Pope’s action was routine in the course of play. That penalty call was correctly overturned.
Reactions from Players and Coaches
After the game, Arsenal women’s team players and coaches took to social media platforms to share and air their frustration over the VAR overturn of the penalty decision. England and Arsenal star Bukayo Saka took to social media after the match to complain about what he felt was a dangerous challenge that deserved punishment. Mikel Arteta was in no uncertain terms about this. Actions like these need to be punished no matter how small the touch on the ball, this is what he is convinced of.
Webb addressed these criticisms directly. He admitted that there was some contact with the ball, but Reilly rightly pointed out that did remove the possible recklessness from Pope’s challenge. He stated, “I think it’s reckless, at least. It has to be penalised. There is that small touch on the ball, but that doesn’t negate the fact you have to penalise this sort of action.” As this viewpoint perfectly characterized the protect-the-shield mentality, played out in week-to-week officiating decisions on big-dollar matches.
Implications for Future Matches
Beyond just the impact on this penalty decision being rescinded, the larger consequences for both clubs as they moved into the next steps of their seasons continue. In this pivotal moment, Newcastle stands to make national momentum by dodging a bullet. That might stoke their ambition to finish higher in the league. Arsenal will be bitter to think of the goals that, had they scored, would have removed any chance of United making a comeback.
Discussions regarding VAR are very much the order of the day in football circles right now. Incidents like this one are going to be at the center of discussions around officiating standards and player safety forever. We have seen significant benefits in making better decisions with technology providing the facts. Yet, while it has inspired collaboration, it has challenged it, as further demonstrated in this example.
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