VAR expert explains why Arsenal didn't get penalty vs Chelsea for Sanchez foul on Jesus | OneFootball

Highlights

One of the most contentious VAR decisions in the Premier League last weekend took place in Chelsea’s match against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Visiting fans felt that they should have had a penalty in the second half when goalkeeper Robert Sanchez cleaned Gabriel Jesus out inside the box.

Yet a VAR expert has now revealed why a penalty was not awarded in the game by VAR. The opinion goes against much of the debate and outcry we have seen in the last week about the incident.

The Blues stormed into a 2-0 lead after goals from Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk and looked to be cruising to a win. But goals from Declan Rice and then Leandro Trossard dragged the Gunners back into the tie to secure a point. The former’s goal came after a howler from Sanchez, who played the ball straight to the Arsenal midfielder while being way off his line.

Following the game, Arsenal fans were bitterly disappointed that they were not awarded a penalty during the tie for what they felt was a blatant foul by Sanchez on Jesus. A spot kick could have been decisive for Mikel Arteta’s side as they bid to secure a first Premier League title in 20 years.

And their disbelief was matched by several players and pundits. Alan Shearer spoke about the incident on Match of the Day, believing that there was “no doubt” about the call.

Similarly, ex-Premeir League official Dermot Gallagher stated that the punch should have resulted in a penalty on Sky Sports News.

VAR expert explains why no penalty was given

However, new information has come to light which reveals exactly why VAR chose not to intervene and send the on-field referee to the monitor. VAR expert Dale Johnson has revealed one thing prevented the decision from being overturned.

The ESPN journalist was asked if there was any truth in the PGMOL issuing an apology for not issuing a VAR review on the Jesus incident, to which he replied: “This is false.”

Expanding on his view, Johnson pointed out that when Odegaard played the pass into the box, Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu was standing in an offside position at that point. Because the offside came before Sanchez’s challenge on Jesus, meaning that VAR could not intervene.

Despite the parallels to Andre Onana’s punch against Wolves, Johnson wrote in his weekly VAR Review that the PGMOL won’t react in the same way, as Sanchez collided with a group of players, making it less clear if a genuine attempt was made to play the ball. Onana, by contrast, seemed to go from targeting the ball to pulling Sasa Kalajdzic to the ground, making it a more obvious error.

Arsenal look to bounce back this weekend

After dropping two points at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal got back to winning ways against Sevilla on Tuesday in the Champions League. That will boost morale going into their next Premier League tie, which is against 20th-placed Sheffield United tomorrow afternoon.

The Blades have been in dismal form so far this season, with just one draw from their opening nine league games. Given they are rock-bottom of the table while Arsenal are currently third, it would be surprising to see Paul Heckingbottom’s side get a result.