Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer has voiced strong criticism over the inconsistent use of VAR following Arsenal’s contentious 1-0 win against West Ham.
West Ham, battling relegation, saw a stoppage-time goal from Callum Wilson ruled out after Pablo was judged to have fouled Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. The VAR review, overseen by Darren England, lasted over four minutes before referee Chris Kavanagh was sent to the monitor to overturn the initial on-field decision.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Shearer acknowledged that along with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards, he believed the officials ultimately made the correct call. However, he argued that VAR has not solved the ongoing issue of inconsistency in refereeing.
“I imagine some people will think it was a foul, others won’t, and some will wonder, ‘Where is the consistency?’ because we see something like that every single week,” Shearer said.
“I do believe it was a foul, but I also look at the incident at Everton last week involving Bernardo Silva, where a holding foul was given against defender Merlin Rohl. Where was VAR then?”
Pablo was adjudged to have fouled David Raya (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
The former England captain added: “We keep having this discussion. The checks take far too long. I understand it’s a huge decision, but so is every decision.
“Every fan can show you a screenshot of a similar incident from this season where a foul wasn’t given. That’s where the frustration comes from.”
The disallowed goal cost West Ham a potential precious point in their relegation fight, while Arsenal held on to stay five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.
Lineker added: “It was probably a foul, but that’s not quite the standard they’re supposed to apply, is it? If I were a West Ham fan, or a Manchester City fan, I’d be a bit annoyed because there was plenty of fouling during that corner.
“There was a lot of grappling from Arsenal players on the West Ham attackers. I know goalkeepers receive extra protection, and it was probably a foul on him, but do you also consider the holding that happened before, which looked like a more clear foul?”
Former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney praised the officials for getting the decision right.
Speaking on the Wayne Rooney Show, he said: “It’s a clear foul. You can clearly see the arm cross Raya’s face, affecting his ability to reach the ball. So I believe it was the correct decision.
“It’s one of those rare times when I think VAR did an excellent job in such a crucial match.”