Arsenal Penalty Drama: VAR Strikes Again as Gunners Get Robbed at Craven Cottage

Here we go again. Arsenal fans are probably getting tired of writing strongly-worded letters to the Premier League about VAR decisions, but honestly, who can blame them at this point? Saturday’s clash against Fulham served up yet another controversial moment that’ll have Gooners questioning whether the video technology is actually helping the game or just finding new ways to mess with their heads.

Another Day, Another Arsenal Penalty Controversy

The drama unfolded in typical fashion during Arsenal’s visit to Craven Cottage. Bukayo Saka, doing what he does best, danced his way into the Fulham penalty area before Brazilian defender Kevin came lunging in like he was trying to stop a runaway train. Down went Saka, up went referee Anthony Taylor’s arm, and for a brief moment, Arsenal fans thought they might actually catch a break from the officials.

But wait—there’s more! Because this is Arsenal we’re talking about, and apparently, the football gods have a twisted sense of humor when it comes to the North London club.

VAR decided to stick its digital nose into proceedings, asking Taylor to take another look at the incident on that little monitor that seems to cause more drama than a reality TV show. After what felt like an eternity of deliberation, Taylor delivered his verdict over the Craven Cottage PA system: “After review, number 22 makes a challenge and plays the ball therefore no foul is committed. No penalty, restart with a drop ball from the goalkeeper.”

The crowd erupted. Saka looked absolutely bewildered. Mikel Arteta probably added another gray hair to his collection. Just another Saturday in the life of an Arsenal supporter, really.

Arsenal’s Penalty Curse Continues Its Reign of Terror

This isn’t some isolated incident that Arsenal fans can just shrug off and move on from. Oh no, this is becoming a pattern that’s more predictable than your mate who always orders the same thing at every restaurant.

Just three weeks earlier, the Gunners faced similar heartbreak against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park. In that match, Viktor Gyökeres had what looked like a clear penalty overturned after VAR determined that goalkeeper Nick Pope got a touch on the ball. Sound familiar? It should, because it’s basically the same story with different characters.

The parallels are almost comical if you’re not an Arsenal fan. Both incidents involved initial penalty awards from the on-field referee. Both were overturned after VAR review. Both decisions hinged on the defender/goalkeeper getting “a touch” on the ball before contact with the Arsenal player. And both times, Arsenal managed to win the game anyway—though that’s probably more down to their quality than any help from the officials.

Saka’s Perspective: “It’s Still a Penalty”

After the match, Saka didn’t mince words about the decision, and you can hardly blame him for feeling hard done by. “For me, it’s a penalty,” the England international stated with the kind of matter-of-fact certainty that suggests he’s getting pretty tired of these conversations.

“Of course, I understand he touched the ball, but I felt a big contact on my right knee before he touched the ball, and for me, any contact like that in the box is a penalty,” Saka explained, probably wondering if he needs to start wearing body armor to get penalty calls these days.

His diplomatic conclusion—”The decision has been made, I don’t want to dwell on it, let’s just move forward. We got the three points”—shows the kind of maturity that Arsenal fans have come to expect from their star winger, even when he’s being served up controversial decisions on a silver platter.

The Bigger Picture: VAR’s Arsenal Problem