New footage has emerged that appears to cast even more doubt into the decision to award Brighton a penalty during their 1-1 draw with Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s side visited the Amex looking to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool but were forced to share the spoils after Joao Pedro cancelled out Ethan Nwaneri’s opener from 12 yards following the controversial decision.
Pedro had won the spot kick after he clashed heads with William Saliba while chasing after a loose ball. The contact was deemed to have impeded the Brazilian, and Anthony Taylor opted to penalise the French defender, much to the amazement of every Gunner in the stadium. Now, a new angle has broken the foul down in even more detail, which is bound to leave Arsenal fans feeling even more hard done by.
Slow Motion Footage Throws Penalty Decision Into Question
When slowed down it appears that Saliba makes contact with the ball
The new footage shared on social media shows the incident in slow motion and appears to question whether the VAR made a mistake in not overturning referee Taylor’s on-field decision. Once slowed down, it seems as though, after Pedro initially makes contact with the ball, Saliba also gets a touch on it, as the ball deviates away from him in a different direction after going past his head.
It is only after the ball comes off Saliba that he makes contact with the Brighton striker, suggesting it was merely a case of a follow-through as opposed to the Frenchman making a rash challenge and colliding with his opponent as a result.
Fans online have been quick to vent their frustrations after rewatching the incident through the lens of the new footage. One in particular, was incredibly critical of VAR, claiming that the technology ‘has to go’ and describing those in charge of it as ‘incapable clowns.’
Mikel Arteta even pointed out after the final whistle that Saliba had gotten a touch on the ball, with the Spaniard admitting that he had “never seen a call like it in his life.” It is not the first time this season that Brighton have appeared to ride their luck when it comes to VAR decisions, as they were also on the right side of questionable decisions during their games against both Brentford and versus Southampton.
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