Premier League Explains Why VAR Denied Arsenal Penalty Despite Foul on Kai Havertz

• The Premier League clarified why Arsenal were denied a penalty despite VAR confirming a holding foul on Kai Havertz against Hull City
• The incident occurred in the 42nd minute, when VAR flagged a holding offence before an offside ruling overturned any chance of a spot-kick
• Martin Odegaard's 72nd-minute goal ultimately secured a 1-0 win for Arsenal despite the contentious first-half decision

The Premier League has issued an official explanation for why Arsenal were not awarded a penalty against Hull City, despite VAR confirming that Havertz had been fouled inside the penalty area.

Why VAR denied Arsenal penalty

The incident took place in the 42nd minute. Hull City's Mendy was found to have held Havertz in the box, a foul serious enough to prompt VAR to call for an on-field review by the match referee.

After consulting the monitor, however, the officials determined that Havertz had been in an offside position during the attacking phase that led to the foul, rendering the penalty claim void.

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The referee's announcement made the reasoning clear on the Premier League's Match Centre on X:

"After review, there is a holding offence by Blue No.32 [Mendy] on Red No.29. However, Red No.29 [Kai Havertz] is in an offside position, so the final decision will be a free-kick for offside to Hull City."

Under the laws of football, an offside offence takes precedence over a subsequent foul in the same phase of play.

This means that where an attacking player is offside before being fouled, the restart must favour the defending side rather than the team that suffered the infringement.

Arsenal, therefore, could not benefit from Mendy's hold on Havertz, even with VAR's confirmation that a foul had occurred.

The ruling cost Arsenal what would have been a first-half opportunity to take the lead from the penalty spot.

Odegaard settles the contest

Despite the frustration surrounding the first-half decision, Mikel Arteta's side kept their composure and found a breakthrough in the 72nd minute through captain Martin Odegaard.

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The Norwegian midfielder's goal proved to be the difference between the two sides, with Arsenal claiming a 1-0 victory.

Watch Odegaard's match-winner, as shared on X:

The result demonstrated the Gunners' capacity to remain patient in difficult matches, converting a narrow winning margin even after a contentious officiating moment.

For Arsenal, Odegaard's contribution ensured the VAR controversy did not define their afternoon.

Premier League drops 2 VAR officials

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that two VAR officials had been dropped from their upcoming Premier League duties following a controversial decision in the Manchester derby.

The incident involved Erling Haaland's winning goal, which referee Michael Oliver initially disallowed for offside.

Source: YEN.com.gh