Mikel Arteta expressed his dissatisfaction with Newcastle’s winning goal against Arsenal, deeming it a ‘disgrace’ due to several issues he had with it.Mikel Arteta expressed his dissatisfaction with Newcastle’s winning goal against Arsenal, deeming it a ‘disgrace’ due to several issues he had with it. The incident in question brought VAR back into the spotlight over the weekend, but despite this, Express Sport readers do not support scrapping the technology in the Premier League. This renewed scrutiny of VAR occurred during Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle, which ended their unbeaten streak at St James’ Park.
The decisive goal was scored by Anthony Gordon, an ex-Everton player, in an impressive 1-0 victory for Newcastle. However, the goal became shrouded in controversy. Before the goal was scored, there were suspicions that the ball had gone out of play, and there were questions about whether Gabriel was fouled by Joelinton while contesting the cross delivered by Joe Willock.
Gordon eventually netted the ball past David Raya, and despite doubts about possible offside, VAR chose not to intervene due to limited camera angles. Referee Stuart Atwell awarded the goal, with the support of officials at Stockley Park.
Despite the controversies surrounding VAR, a majority of Express Sport readers believe that the Premier League should continue using the system. When asked whether the Premier League should eliminate VAR, 43 percent of respondents answered ‘yes,’ while 57 percent said ‘no,’ hoping that the system’s issues can be resolved over time.
Many VAR mistakes are often attributed to human error, which has raised questions about why the Premier League has not introduced semi-automated offside technology that uses AI to remove the decision-making from the hands of referees. Nevertheless, even with evidence of the system’s success, 37 percent of respondents were not in favor of a semi-automated system and believed that offside decisions should remain in the hands of the refereeing team and VAR officials.