Football: Arsenal boss Arteta fumes at officials over Brentford equaliser, PGMOL admits error

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (right) bemoaned officiating which allowed a contentious Brentford goal to stand. PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta accused the officials of “changing the rules” and said Brentford’s equaliser against the Premier League leaders in Saturday’s 1-1 draw should have been disallowed for offside.

On Sunday, the Daily Mail quoted an official from the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body in charge of referees, as saying that “VAR didn’t fully investigate with the lines”, adding that the goal stood due to “human error”.

Arteta was left fuming when Ivan Toney’s controversial header cancelled out Leandro Trossard’s opening goal for the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal lost at struggling Everton on Feb 4 and their latest setback leaves them only six points clear of second-placed Manchester City. City hosted Aston Villa on Sunday before travelling to Arsenal on Wednesday.

Aware of the mounting pressure on his team, who recently lost to City in the FA Cup, Arteta was visibly frustrated by Toney’s dubious leveller.

The goal was allowed to stand despite a lengthy video assistant referee check for a potential offside against Ethan Pinnock.

“I just looked back and it is offside, yes,” Arteta said. “The action when you get blocked when you are offside. You cannot block if you are offside.

“I’m hoping the cameras and the visuals, maybe it looks like there were two actions. I don’t know. It’s too late, it’s fine, the goal was allowed and we dropped two points.

“I’m saying the second one (an offside call against Christian Norgaard) – I don’t know because you have to see the line the way they see it with the cameras. I don’t know. It’s irrelevant. It’s gone.”

Arteta plans to speak to Premier League chiefs about an incident which could be a significant moment in Arsenal’s bid for a first title since 2004.

“We always assess the game with them (the Premier League) and we give our views and our points. But it’s too late,” Arteta said.

“You have to apply certain principles in defending and you do that by sticking to the rules. Suddenly you change the rules and then you have to change your principles.

“So tell us before, so then you don’t hide the line that high, because you’re always going to have an advantage if you get blocked.”

The Press Association reported on Sunday that the VAR panel had not fully investigated Brentford’s goal. The Daily Mail said that VAR official Lee Mason forgot to draw offside lines.

PGMOL representative Chris Foy, who was at the match centre at Stockley Park on Saturday told the publication: “VAR was looking to see if there was an offside and whether Ethan Pinnock had blocked off Gabriel in the build-up.

“He looked at the possible foul and decided there hadn’t been one...

“However, in the build-up to the goal, Christian Norgaard – whose cross it is that Toney heads in – is in an offside position.

“However, the truth is that VAR didn’t fully investigate with the lines. The lines, simply, didn’t go down. And that counts as human error.

“Had the lines gone down the goal would have been disallowed for offside.”

Mason has already once been stood down from VAR duties this season, when in September his mistake saw a Newcastle goal disallowed against Crystal Palace.

The Sun claims he was also involved in an erroneously chalked-off goal for Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli a day later against Manchester United.

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett tweeted: “Howard Webb is now in charge of the PGMOL. One of the first things he should do is dismiss permanent VAR operator Lee Mason.

“This weekend, Mason lets another referee down by not disallowing the Brentford goal for offside. These are decisions that VAR should get right.”

PGMOL on Saturday also apologised to Brighton & Hove Albion for a “serious error” in incorrectly disallowing Pervis Estupinan’s goal against Palace in a 1-1 draw.

They said: “The lines drawn in the VAR room to determine whether Pervis was in an offside position were drawn incorrectly.” AFP

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