Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel felt West Ham were desperately unlucky to be denied a late equaliser of their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, insisting the choice was \u2018so unsuitable on so many levels\u2019.<\/p>\n
The relegation-threatened Irons appeared to have cancelled out Leandro Trossard\u2019s earlier effort as Callum Wilson struck through a crowd of bodies in a moment of high-drama and tension on the death.<\/p>\n
But following a lengthy VAR check, which dragged on for over five minutes, it was ruled that West Ham substitute Pablo had fouled David Raya within the build-up, with replays showing the Portuguese put an arm across the Arsenal goalkeeper on the London Stadium.<\/p>\n
The Gunners\u2019 away end could breathe a collective sigh of relief as referee Chris Kavanagh eventually confirmed that the strike had been disallowed and Mikel Arteta\u2019s men held firm to revive their five-point advantage over Manchester City on the summit.<\/p>\n
West Ham, meanwhile, remain stranded within the relegation zone, one point adrift of Spurs, who welcome Leeds to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night.<\/p>\n
Facing the media shortly after the ultimate whistle, Arteta applauded the refereeing on show within the derby, claiming Kavanagh and his team were \u2018very brave\u2019 to chalk off Wilson\u2019s last-gasp goal.<\/p>\n
\u2018Today I even have to congratulate them [the officials]. You would like quite a lot of courage and bravado to face out and make it possible to the referee to have a have a look at the motion,\u2019 the Arsenal head coach said.<\/p>\n \u2018If you see the image, there is no such thing as a query that it’s a transparent foul. They were very brave.<\/p>\n \u2018The motion deserved that. In my view, it is rather clear. They’re the foundations and we ask for consistency.\u2019<\/p>\n Addressing West Ham\u2019s disallowed goal within the Sky Sports studio, Jamie Redknapp, Ian Wright and Roy Keane were all in agreement that the proper decision was made. <\/p>\n \u2018Oh yeah, absolutely [they got away with one],\u2019 ex-England midfielder Redknapp said of Arsenal\u2019s let-off.<\/p>\n \u2018The relief for the fanbase and the manager and the players\u2026 because for that moment in time, when the ball goes in your net, Declan Rice is attempting to unravel the whole lot that\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n \u2018But obviously Pablo has his arm on the goalkeeper and, as an Arsenal player, you\u2019re just praying that they’ll see that.<\/p>\n \u2018I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen more holding in my life! To unravel that moment, it was like watching the Super Bowl, everyone was grabbing on for dear life. It was chaos.\u2019<\/p>\n Arsenal icon Wright chimed in: \u2018When that goes in, the very first thing you\u2019re considering is, \u201cPlease let something have happened\u201d, because when Wilson hits that you simply\u2019re considering, hoping something has gone unsuitable there.<\/p>\n \u2018Obviously you look back at it and his arm is across him. It was a straightforward one to provide in such a tense moment.<\/p>\n \u2018Every little thing flashed in front of me! Not great stuff. You\u2019re considering we might need blown it then.\u2019<\/p>\n Former Manchester United captain Keane got here to the identical conclusion as his fellow pundits, while criticising Pablo for giving VAR a chance to disallow the goal.<\/p>\n \u2018VAR are going to examine the whole lot\u2026 don’t put your hands on the goalkeeper! Definitely don\u2019t leave them on for 3 or 4 seconds,\u2019 he explained.<\/p>\n \u2018Obviously it was madness and there\u2019s a great deal of other fouls, there\u2019s all sorts occurring, but since the goalkeeper has such an enormous part to play, I believe it’s a foul.<\/p>\n \u2018He must know they\u2019re going to examine VAR, he\u2019s pulling his jersey. There\u2019s all sorts occurring. You talk in regards to the discipline\u2026 don’t give a foul away.\u2019<\/p>\n Nonetheless, Keane\u2019s former United team-mate Schmeichel took an altogether different view, blasting the decision given the quantity of \u2018doubt\u2019 indicated by the length of the VAR check.<\/p>\n \u2018What really makes me indignant is that Arsenal would never be top of the league if that\u2019s a free-kick,\u2019 the Dane said on Viaplay\u2019s post-match coverage.<\/p>\n \u2018That\u2019s how they\u2019ve scored so many goals, by blocking people, holding people, doing all types of things. <\/p>\n \u2018After which we get up to now, it takes VAR five minutes, Darren England the VAR, it takes five minutes.<\/p>\n \u2018He starts it all over again and starts it all over again and again\u2026 that in itself puts a lot doubt into that call that it can’t be a free-kick.<\/p>\n \u2018I believe it\u2019s so unsuitable. I just don\u2019t understand why swiftly that\u2019s a free-kick, since it\u2019s not been for any teams all the way in which throughout the season.<\/p>\n \u2018All this, it\u2019s just crazy. And that call today, it\u2019s just so unsuitable on so many levels.\u2019<\/p>\n For more stories like this,\u00a0check our sport page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Follow Metro Sport for the newest news on ![\"West](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2275483594_9b871f.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"West](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2275487075.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"England](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2268821232.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"West](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2275486920.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
\t<\/div>![\"England](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2234330167.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\")
\t<\/div>Was the proper decision made?<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\nFacebook<\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n