A penalty award strongly contested by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta at Sunderland was incorrect, according to a unanimous decision from a Premier League panel.
Referee John Brooks penalised Gunners defender Ezri Konsa for holding Sunderland’s Dan Ballard at a corner, with David Raya saving Enzo Le Fee’s spot-kick as the champions ran out 2-0 winners on September 12.
Arteta was furious with the decision and the club contacted Pro Ref seeking an explanation.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents five-person panel unanimously disagreed with the on-field decision, stating: “Although it was a very untidy challenge in which Konsa initially had arms around Ballard, Ballard engages in a holding action which pulls Konsa onto him so they both fall to the floor.”
The panel gave majority 3-2 backing to the decision of VAR Stuart Attwell not to intervene, however, stating it was not a clear and obvious error.
Arteta said after the match: “(The decision) is not acceptable. I watched it 20 times and I cannot find a way to understand how they’d think to give a penalty in that situation or the way the VAR has to intervene.
“At this level with all the work we put in, this cannot happen.”
The panel is comprised of three former players and coaches, one Premier League representative and one from Pro Ref.
Meanwhile, the panel unanimously agreed that Erling Haaland’s winner in the Manchester derby earlier this month should have been disallowed for offside.
Haaland’s goal at Old Trafford on September 13 was allowed to stand after VAR Matt Donohue and his assistant Blake Antrobus found the Norway striker was onside, but failed to send referee Michael Oliver to review the fact that Enzo Fernandez was interfering with play in an offside position.
Pro Ref’s chief refereeing officer Howard Webb said Donohue had “tunnel vision” over the incident, with his focus seemingly on clearing the Haaland offside and checking whether Fernandez had touched the ball.
He said Donohue’s assistants, including Antrobus, should have pulled him out of that tunnel. The pair were stood down from last weekend’s Premier League matches.
Pro Ref contacted United to acknowledge the error and promised a review of its processes following the incident.
In its summary published on Wednesday, the panel said: “Fernandez is in an offside position, attempts to play the ball that is close to him, and impacts the ability of the defender and the goalkeeper to play the ball in the process.
“A VAR review should have been recommended for a missed subjective offside in the attacking possession phase.”
There was unanimous backing for the decision to send off Manchester City’s Phil Foden in the same game for kicking out at United’s Bruno Fernandes, although the panel felt Fernandes’ actions in the incident were worthy of a yellow card.
If Oliver had not given the red card against Foden on field, the VAR could have recommended a booking for Fernandes as part of a red-card review of Foden’s conduct.
