Former Premier League referee says Arsenal should have had penalty vs Leicester
Dermot Gallagher, a retired Premier League referee, has asserted that during Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Leicester City on Saturday, the Gunners should have received a penalty.
Bukayo Saka had requested a spot-kick after Harry Souttar seemed to pull him down inside the box. Nevertheless, referee Craig Pawson allowed the game to continue, and although VAR examined the incident, they concluded that it was not a blatant error by the on-field official.
Gallagher believes that Arsenal was unfortunate not to have been granted the penalty.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I think it’s a foul Rob. I know Souttar will say he slips but I think, although he slips, he still grabs him (Saka).
“I think he takes him down and I think he impacts on him. I know the ball was going behind him but for me, it’s a penalty.”
Referee Craig Pawson disallowed a goal from Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard during the same match, after VAR prompted him to review the on-field monitor. The decision was made after Ben White was determined to have impeded Leicester goalkeeper Danny Ward before the ball reached Trossard, leading to the goal being annulled. According to Gallagher, this was the right decision.
He added: “This is very interesting because when I saw it Saturday I didn’t see this angle, I just thought it was a mispunch. When you see this, he’s clearly got his arm locked in, which massively impacts him [Ward] trying to clear that ball.
“It’s got to be a clear and obvious error because the referee can’t see it. Without Ben White locking his arm in, he would’ve got much more purchase on that ball and cleared it, so it has to be given.
“But an amazing spot by the VAR because when you see it, I don’t know what made the VAR look for that because he just spotted it. I wouldn’t have thought of that in the game.”
Former Premier League referee says Arsenal should have had penalty vs Leicester
