Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta thought they had a chance to open the scoring in their Premier League match against Newcastle United after custodian Nick Pope collided with Viktor Gyokeres in the first 15 minutes. Referee Jarred Gillett did not hesitate to point to the spot, but he later changed his decision after consulting the pitchside monitor.
Gyokeres took advantage of a one-on-one opportunity with Pope and even sidestepped around the Newcastle custodian, who clutched the Swedish striker’s leg as he dropped to the turf. Much to the dismay of the home crowd, the man in the middle pointed to the penalty spot.
To safeguard the integrity of English officiating, Gillett was assigned to the pitchside monitor to ensure that his decisions were proper. As expected, Newcastle fans gave out a collective sigh of relief as he revealed to the crowd his decision to overturn the penalty. The Premier League Match Centre has reiterated his on-field rationale.
Premier League Explains Why Penalty Was Overturned in Arsenal vs. Newcastle
It was always going to be a difficult afternoon for the north Londoners given how tenacious the atmosphere at St James’ Park has been over the years, and securing all three points would require a touch of luck on their side. Gyokeres pounced on Jacob Murphy’s weak ball and bore in on goal, looking to add his season tally.
That appeared to happen within the first 15 minutes, when those at Stockley Park persuaded Gillett to double-check his judgement. That’s because Pope appeared to have made contact with the ball before removing Arsenal’s summer signing, who was among the first to object. You can see the collision below.
With a sea of red, white, and black shirts swarming him on the touchline (as you can see above), Gillett agreed with his VAR colleagues and cancelled out the Gunners’ penalty after reviewing the footage, and, to clear things up, the Premier League Match Centre took to X (formerly Twitter) to explain why.
“NEWARS – 14′ VAR OVERTURN. Following a VAR review, the referee reversed the original penalty award to Arsenal. Referee’s announcement: “After review, the Newcastle custodian plays the ball and there is no foul.” The ultimate decision is to drop the ball.”
According to journalist Simon Collings, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was extremely angered by Gillett’s decision to overturn his team’s chance to open the score from the penalty spot. “Arteta with his head in his hands after that decision,” he told X, adding, “He can’t believe it.”
To make matters worse, Eddie Howe’s men quickly took the lead following the disagreement on the other end. Nick Woltemade jumped highest in the Arsenal box to score the game’s opening goal at St James’ Park.
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