How the biggest VAR decision yet might have won Arsenal the Premier League title | OneFootball

An arm extended, and one hand on the title.

Arsenal are now two victories from ending a 22-year wait, which was about what referee Chris Kavanagh’s survey of Pablo’s foul on David Raya felt like.

A crucial 1-0 was only stopped from becoming a costly 1-1, in the 94th minute, by one man’s interpretation of “wrestling” – as Nuno Espirito Santo put it – at a set-piece.

Even Mikel Arteta, who knows a thing or two about the subject from this season alone, was marvelling at the “huge” pressure on Kavanagh.

open image in gallery

A VAR decision denied West Ham a point with David Raya deemed to have been fouled (Getty)

“Probably today I have realised how difficult and how big is the referee's job,” the Arsenal manager said. “Because you're talking about a moment that can decide the history, the course, of two massive clubs that they are fighting with their lives to achieve their objectives.”

Indeed, very few moments in modern football history will rival that one for tension, even if it said a lot about where modern football is.

Players from both sides were lined up behind Kavanagh, some arguing with each other about what happened.

The emotion was spilling over. This was the title and relegation on the line, so much coming together in one game - and one moment - in a way the Premier League has actually rarely seen.

open image in gallery

Chris Kavanagh ruled out West Ham's would-be equaliser against Arsenal (Reuters)

There was almost a cinematic element to it. Football has rarely seen it. This was maybe the biggest VAR decision the game has seen, and perhaps the refereeing decision that was going to have the biggest influence on a title since Colin Suggett was adjudged to not be interfering with play in 1971 - when Arsenal won a double.

Kavanagh had to get it right. He looked at it 17 times, over four minutes and 17 seconds.

He probably just did get it right. Pablo’s arm clearly impedes Raya, while Jean-Clair Todibo had pulled his shirt. It is the correct decision.

Arteta of course said “it is an obvious error”. Nuno Espirito Santo seemed to accept it was but touched on a much bigger debate now raging about what the Premier League has generally allowed in terms of “wrestling in the box” – many were pointing to the movements of Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard in the same action – as well as a leniency in similar moments throughout the campaign.

open image in gallery

Jarrod Bowen was disappointed after West Ham's equaliser was ruled out (AP)

On that, Nuno somewhat philosophically said: “It's frustrating the duality of criteria. It seems like the rules have changed. Everybody feels confused.”

But Kavanagh is there to referee the moment - not the whole season.

Maybe it’s a strangely fitting way for the 2025-26 title to be decided – if it is actually to be decided. Even in the few minutes remaining after the Callum Wilson strike, Arsenal were struggling to just clear the ball, panicking in every kick.

By the end, even before celebrating, many of their players sank to the ground in emotional exhaustion.

open image in gallery

Leandro Trossard's goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 victory (Reuters)

It’s one of the remarkable things about football. This was a dog of a game but one that was utterly absorbing, and had at least three moments that could yet go down in Premier League history.

The last was obviously Kavanagh’s call.

The first was another “magic moment” - as Arteta put it - from Raya himself. After so much debate about player of the season, the goalkeeper has a huge claim. “The story of the season again,” Arteta said.

Raya rightly got man of the match here.

open image in gallery

David Raya’s save from Mateus Fernandes was crucial (Getty)

He may well have secured the league, too. The save from Mateus Fernandes felt the equivalent of Manchester City’s Stefan Ortega stopping Spurs’ Son Heung-Min to also stop Arsenal two seasons ago.

It was at that point an anguished 0-0, with both sides needing to win but visibly suppressed by the tension of it all.

Arsenal’s strong start had been disrupted by the departure of Ben White - who Arteta said faces scans in the morning, from an injury that “doesn’t look good”.

The manager’s decision to move Declan Rice to right-back was the intervention that really broke their rhythm, and Arteta spent the next half-hour trying to correct it. He eventually took Martin Zubimendi off, having brought him on, the Spaniard’s one big moment an overhit pass just when Eberechi Eze looked to break.

At that point, Arsenal were toiling. They need someone to make the difference. It didn’t have the feel of a champion team gradually upping the tempo and building wave after wave.

open image in gallery

Martin Odegaard made a crucial impact to take Arsenal closer to the title (AP)

It did have Martin Odegaard, though. After a season when the Arsenal captain has barely been involved in key moments, here he was setting up what might be the most important of all. The pass for Trossard was just a follow-on from the way he had got on the ball and finally got Arsenal moving again.Odegaard was actually trying to hurt West Ham, seizing the moment in the manner a passive Arsenal badly needed. “He had an incredible impact in the game, an action that he's now in a top position to score the goal,” Arteta said.

And there was Trossard to fire home. “Well, there is a player that makes a difference for us,” Arteta quipped.

It will do the same for West Ham. They now have a real fight to stay up, but they did show they are up for it. Nuno rightly praised his team for their performance. Konstantin Mavropanos personified that, with two brilliant stops.

It somehow wasn’t enough. Arsenal just had more. And it means more on the table. This defeat also has the effect of ensuring Leeds United are mathematically safe, and that on the day before they are due to travel to Tottenham Hotspur, who West Ham badly need to lose.

open image in gallery

West Ham were denied by VAR against Arsenal to slip closer to the drop (Getty)

Again, there’s rarely a game like this in terms of consequences. There’s never been a moment like that VAR stoppage.

“What an afternoon,” Arteta said. “What a week it’s been for us.”

And after a game like that, that seemed to bring in all of the emotions and themes of this campaign, it might end up quite a season for them, too.