![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/00245811-614.jpg\"\/)
\nPablo fouls Arsenal keeper David Raya in the lead up to Callum Wilson’s disallowed goal<\/p>\n
Mikel Arteta congratulated the “brave” match officials for overturning an “obvious error” in Arsenal’s controversial 1-0 win against West Ham which edges them closer to a first Premier League title in 22 years.<\/p>\n
Leandro Trossard fired Arteta\u2019s side ahead with just seven minutes remaining before Callum Wilson appeared to deal a hammer blow to the Gunners\u2019 championship aspirations \u2013 and a crucial boost to West Ham\u2019s hopes of survival \u2013 in stoppage time.<\/p>\n
But after referee Chis Kavanagh was sent to the on-pitch monitor by VAR, and then watched an extraordinary 17 replays of the flashpoint, he elected to chalk off the equaliser, with Pablo Felipe adjudged to have fouled Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.<\/p>\n
West Ham were furious with the decision, but for Arsenal it takes them five points clear of City, and leaves them only two matches away from the title.<\/p>\n
And Arteta said: “It was a call from the ref that is very brave, but very consistent with what they\u2019ve been talking about all season.<\/p>\n
\nPablo fouls Arsenal keeper David Raya in the lead up to Callum Wilson’s disallowed goal<\/p>\n
“When I have to be critical, I have been. And today I have to praise them, at least for giving the option to a referee to decide, away from the lights and the chaos, to give clarity to him to make the right call. And when you look at the action in that way, it is an obvious error.<\/p>\n
“It is a free-kick, and the goal has to be disallowed. So congratulations, because they made a big call in very, very difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n
“Today I have realised how difficult and how big the referee\u2019s job is. Because you\u2019re talking about a moment that can decide the history, and the course, of two massive clubs that are fighting with their lives to achieve their objectives. And the pressure is huge.”<\/p>\n
The contentious verdict keeps the title race in Arsenal\u2019s hands, and victory against Burnley a week on Monday and then Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on May 24 will be enough to carry Arteta\u2019s men to the title.<\/p>\n
And, if City fail to beat Palace in their next match, at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, Arsenal will be given the opportunity to secure the championship in their penultimate game.<\/p>\n
Two minutes and 35 seconds passed following Wilson\u2019s strike in the fifth of six-added on minutes, before Kavanagh was instructed to go to the monitor.<\/p>\n
And for relegation-threatened West Ham, the disallowed goal leaves them a point behind Tottenham, having played a game more.<\/p>\n
![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/00245813-614.jpg\"\/)
\nCommotion in the Arsenal penalty area<\/p>\n
Forward Jarrod Bowen said: “We had our big moment, and we thought we\u2019d got back into the game. (But if you) look at something for five minutes, you\u2019re trying to find something.<\/p>\n
“Goalkeepers are protected more than outfield players. There\u2019s lots of holding and grappling that goes on in the box. Are you going to look at those every time and give a penalty? Because that\u2019s the only way that is the right way to do it.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s a corner kick, it\u2019s physical, it\u2019s the Premier League. There\u2019s going to be contact and tussles.<\/p>\n
“People are going to say I sound bitter but I\u2019m just being honest. I\u2019m sure we could go back through every single game and see goalkeepers getting fouled and not getting decisions. If you\u2019re going to give it, give it for every single thing every week.”<\/p>\n
West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo matched Bowen\u2019s fury. He said: “You look at every corner in the Premier League and something like this is happening, not just today, but on all the pitches.<\/p>\n
“I am talking about the lack of consistency. The players are confused and frustrated, and they don\u2019t understand it. It is upsetting. It is up to them to solve it, there is a referee and VAR, but the referees confuse themselves.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mikel Arteta congratulated the “brave” match officials for overturning an “obvious error” in Arsenal’s controversial 1-0 win against…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442305,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-442304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442304\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}