West Ham-Arsenal referee and VAR praised for ‘really good teamwork’ after disallowed goal controversy | OneFootball

A highly contentious VAR decision that denied West Ham a late equaliser against Arsenal was "perfectly handled" by match officials, according to former top-flight referee Chris Foy.

The incident, which saw a Callum Wilson goal disallowed, has sparked widespread debate and is being described as one of the most pivotal VAR calls in Premier League history.

Referee Chris Kavanagh initially allowed Wilson’s injury-time strike to stand during Sunday’s match, but was advised by VAR Darren England to review the incident. Following the review, officials concluded that Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya had been fouled by West Ham's Pablo Felipe as he attempted to collect a corner kick.

Despite the uproar, Foy firmly believes the correct outcome was reached.

"It has generated a lot of debate, a lot of discussion, a lot of noise, but they got the decision right," he told the Press Association.

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Chris Foy has praised Sunday’s match officials (PA Wire)

He elaborated on the foul, stating: "Darren England and Chris Kavanagh worked perfectly together on this. Chris Kavanagh didn’t see the action of Pablo on Raya and, quite clearly, he has got his arm across (Raya’s) chest. He’s got no intention of challenging for the ball, but moreover, he has actually got hold of (Raya’s) arm and doesn’t let go."

Foy stressed the impact of the foul, explaining: "Chris Kavanagh can’t see that – it’s a clear non-football action, it has a material impact on the goalkeeper."

He also defended the duration of the VAR check, which drew criticism.

"Darren England has looked at that and he took his time and he’s been criticised for the amount of time it took. But I have to be totally honest with you, there was so much to check. It had to be done properly."

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The late goal was ruled out for a foul on David Raya (PA Wire)

Concluding his assessment, Foy lauded the officials' conduct: "So it was really good teamwork – calm, composed. Some people are saying it’s the biggest VAR decision in history and I probably couldn’t disagree with that at this present moment in time, but I want to give some praise to those two for the work they did and the outcome."

Meanwhile, West Ham are contacting Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) to voice their concerns and seek further clarification on the incident.