Why Arsenal goal & penalty decisions vs Leeds were correct | OneFootball

There was some debate about a couple of refereeing decisions in Arsenal’s win over Leeds United, but both have subsequently been deemed correct by ex-refs and pundits.

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

For once, Arsenal were on the right end of a couple of significant refereeing decisions on Saturday, albeit that both calls were subject to VAR delays as they were confirmed.

First, Jurrien Timber’s second goal was checked for a handball offence against William Saliba. The ball bounced up after a corner and may possibly have brushed Saliba’s hand, before Riccardo Calafiori and then Timber bundled it over the line.

Yet Dermot Gallagher points out for Sky Sports that even if the ball did hit Saliba’s hand, it was clearly unintentional. Accidental handball can only see a goal overturned if it’s by the goalscorer, and Saliba was neither goalscorer nor even the assist provider.

Photo via BBC

Dale Johnson adds for ESPN that it wasn’t clear that the ball did touch Saliba’s arm, and it wasn’t something to be penalised if it did.

It’s worth mentioning that Leeds defender Pascal Struijk actually pushes Saliba’s arm towards the ball, making the case for a deliberate handball even harder to justify.

The other point of contention surrounded the late penalty awarded to Arsenal for a foul on Max Dowman. Leeds’ Anton Stach stood on Dowman’s foot after the ball was gone, and Johnson reports for ESPN that the decision to uphold the on-field call was “understandable” given the visible contact.

Photo via BBC

There were some complaints that Spurs’ Micky van de Ven didn’t see a penalty awarded against him for a similar challenge on Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb.

But rather than suggesting the Arsenal decision was wrong, Johnson says the inconsistency between the two calls is because they got it wrong in Spurs’ case. Spurs should have conceded a penalty, and they got away with one.