Shay Given’s VAR Rant Falls Flat as Arsenal Edge West Ham in Nail-Biter
Arsenal kept their nerve and their lead at the top, scraping a gritty 1-0 away win at West Ham that had the lot: tension, a late twist, and a post-match dust-up over VAR. The Gunners are five points clear of Manchester City, albeit with Pep Guardiola’s side holding a game in hand, while the Hammers remain marooned in the relegation mire with two to play.
Odegaard’s spark, Trossard’s dagger
It was stodgy stuff for long spells. West Ham rode their luck early on, Arsenal then ran out of ideas, and the game drifted. Enter Martin Odegaard. The skipper’s introduction flipped the script, his sharp pass slicing West Ham open for Leandro Trossard to sweep home the winner on 83 minutes. A moment of class in a match starved of it.
The late flashpoint: VAR says foul
Deep into the dying embers, West Ham thought they’d pinched a leveller when Callum Wilson finished smartly after a half-cleared corner. Cue bedlam, then the now-familiar pause. On review, referee Chris Kavanagh stuck with the VAR: West Ham’s No 19 had impeded keeper David Raya in the build-up, so it was a direct free-kick to Arsenal and no goal. That was that.
Former elite assistant Darren Cann, speaking on Match of the Day, was adamant the call was straightforward: Pablo had Raya’s arm and restricted the goalkeeper—textbook interference. He even flagged more grappling in the melee, including a tug on Pablo’s shirt. Bottom line: you can’t manhandle the keeper and expect the goal to stand.
Given fumes over consistency – but the law is the law
Shay Given wasn’t having it. The ex-Man City stopper railed against what he sees as week-to-week inconsistency: he cited examples of blocks on keepers being waved through this season and questioned why earlier holding from the set-piece—naming Gabriel, Odegaard and Trossard—wasn’t penalised first. It’s a familiar gripe, but it misses the key point.
Rules analyst Dale Johnson clarified the process: officials did check the other tangles (including suggestions of Trossard on Pablo and Rice on Summerville in the sequence), but the first offence with a direct impact on the play was Pablo’s contact on Raya. Once that’s established, everything after is irrelevant. You don’t reward a later foul if an earlier, decisive one has already wrecked the phase.
Backlash for Given, kudos for Murphy
Given’s stance sparked a sharp response online. Arsenal supporters accused him of letting anti-Gunners angst do the talking, while journalists and fan voices praised the calm explanations from Cann and, notably, Danny Murphy. Murphy, often critical of Arsenal in years gone by, was credited as the level head in the studio: call the law, call the clip—foul on the keeper, end of chat.
Title race, survival fight – and what’s next
Arsenal’s margin is slender but significant, and City’s game in hand keeps the whole thing on a knife-edge. West Ham, meanwhile, are staring down a brutal run-in from the wrong side of the line. For what it’s worth, this wasn’t a robbery; it was a regulation foul, spotted by VAR, and applied correctly. The bigger story is whether Arsenal can finish the job while West Ham find the mettle to clamber out.
With the run-in set to go down to the wire, the title race is finely poised. If you’re sizing up the odds and tracking momentum, our guide to the best betting sites is a handy companion off the pitch.
Pundit’s verdict
No conspiracy, no great injustice—just a late, messy set-piece where the keeper was pinned. Odegaard tilted the chessboard, Trossard delivered the scalpel, and Arsenal showed the steel of would-be champions. As for the noise? It’ll rumble on, but the law is clear and the points are Arsenal’s.
