General Premier League Thread 2025/2026 - See Post #1 for Mod Note

We're all wasting our time explaining it. They don't want to see the difference. If it wasnt involving the team at the top, it would be brushed aside.

Every set piece that involves the team at the top is like this.

it's quite obvious why this is getting so much attention.

crowding the goalkeeper has happened all season. people have, all season, not really seen the difference, or agree that there is a difference, between obstructing a goalkeeper (the likes of which Arsenal, and others, have done), and putting an arm on the goalkeeper. you can think that there is a massive difference, but many don't.

in that context, West Ham having their goal disallowed feels a bit odd to some. again, it is a foul. but to suggest that there is this chasm of difference between what was done at this corner compared to all the penalty box messes that have happened all season across the league, is silly. essentially, referees are ruling that the only way you stop a goalkeeper jumping and catching the ball is if you put an arm on them. that's fine. but in practice, there are many ways to stop a goalkeeper doing that, including blocking and barging into the keeper, which have happened all season. are they just not fouls? but they have been fouls sometimes in previous games.

It's not Arsenal's fault. They (and others) have played the rules all season as they were being administered.

it's also getting attention because it pretty much seals the League for Arsenal, and makes relegation evermore likely for West Ham.

Considering the decisions on corners that have gone their way all season I'd have a lot more respect for the Arsenal fans here if they just said yea we got away with one there. It's ok to have luck on your side, I'd even go as far to say that you need it to win the PL most seasons.

If you (as a collective, not one person) truly believe Raya was fouled yesterday and all the other incidents mentioned so far weren't fouls by Arsenal attackers on opposite GKs then we are all just wasting time and mental capacity trying to change each other's minds when it's never gonna happen

What about Soucek on Havertz so?

Bernardo Silva done the same last week and no penalty.

You want consistency, there you have it.

Good angle. Can clearly see Soucek fouling Havertz.

Its a foul but there is 5/6 other fouls happening in the box. Its a contact sport but bear hugging someone and obstructing play anywhere else on the pitch is a yellow card.

Rice one should have been a pen alright for hand ball, the other two incidents no. Chelsea scored from the resultant corner anyway, so justice prevailed.

Think that was 3 pics from 2 different corners. Raya punched the ball away, which you cant tell from the screenshot. Saliba was bear hugging alright, but in the same corner ya can see various Chelsea players doing the same. Convenient just showing Saliba.

The decision to suddenly now not allow the grappling and arms across keepers and blocking etc could end up relegating them.

Are you actually trying to say that before yesterday, no goalkeeper had ever been given a foul when an opponent pulled his shirt or held his arm? That’s an astonishingly poor attempt to turn a correct VAR decision into some grand conspiracy just because you didn’t like the outcome.

It's madness people are saying that a player jumping for the ball and playing the ball is the same as two players grabbing the goalkeeper and preventing him from playing the ball. I don't even know if you're being serious.

This was covered already and on MOTD.

VAR only deals with the issue of the goal and whether it should stand.

As the keeper was fouled then it shouldn’t stand.

It’s as simple as that.

Oh and if you are taking about whataboutery are you similarly annoyed with people referring to other decisions in the past that werent give as fouls?? I have yet to see you call the Chelsea lad showing stills pathetic too or maybe I missed it?

Edit - Only after seeing the MOD post above. Was posted as I was typing mine. Think mine is OK. Apologies if not.

I'm an Arsenal fan. Usually just stick to the Arsenal thread and haven't got involved in this thread until now.

There was plenty of grappling from both sides before and after the corner, but the only foul the officials actually gave was obviously the one on Raya. So yes, other fouls occured, committed by players on both sides.

The VAR is only supposed to intervene for a clear and obvious error in a goal situation. ESPN’s review says the VAR judged Pablo’s action to have a direct impact on Raya’s ability to move and catch the ball, and therefore on the goal itself.
That is why this contact (arm on him and shirt pulling) “wins” over other grappling nearby: not because it must be first in time, but because it was judged the clearest illegal act with the clearest link to the goal. If Rice and Mavropanos were engaged in mutual holding or contact or whatever you want to call it, that did not clearly alter the decisive phase, and consequently the referee can leave that alone while still penalising Pablo on Raya.

There have been examples of supposed unpunished fouls on keepers posted here too but the only comparable foul that involved Arsenal in recent memory that I can recall is when Ben White had his goal disallowed v Leicester.

Didn't Spurs relegate Leeds a few years back? I'm sure the Leeds fans would like to get one over them.

I'd guess Leeds spent the last week training properly for this game, having to assume that the worst could happen (WHU beating Arsenal). So the 'on the beach' attitude may not appear until the next set of fixtures - they've already committed time/effort to tonights game.

Interestingly they play West Ham in GW38. Would 'game theory' suggest that it would be better for Leeds if West Ham stay up rather than Tottenham? Because Spurs would likely be a top half team under De Zerbi whereas WHU would be another relegation candidate that Leeds could finish ahead of.