Gary Neville makes social media post as Arsenal concede controversial goal in PL fixture against West Ham
Gary Neville made a couple of social media posts seemingly aimed at Arsenal fans after the Gunners conceded a goal to West Ham United on Wednesday (28 December).
The ball seemed to be heading out of play for a goal kick in the 13th minute before Jarrod Bowen played it back for Tomas Soucek inside the box. The Czech midfielder made no mistake with the finish from a close range, but VAR checked the goal to determine whether the ball went out of play.
After a lengthy check, the on-field decision to award the goal stood. Bowen's presence between the ball and the touchline camera made it hard to determine whether the ball went out of play or not.
It was similar to a goal Arsenal conceded to Newcastle United in a 1-0 league loss on 4 November at St. James' Park. Joe Willock assisted Anthony Gordon's goal in the 64th minute but there was debate over whether the former kept the ball in play right before his cross.
After the game, Neville did a segment on Sky Sports where he demonstrated how camera angles can make it seem like the ball is out of play even when it isn't. One Arsenal fan replied to the Manchester United legend's tweet and wrote:
"Gary Neville made a segment on live television talking about how spheres work and then Joe willock came out and told the ball went out 😂😂😂", referring to Willock reportedly telling his teammates the ball did go out of play.
After Soucek's goal, Neville quoted that tweet and replied:
"🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🙂"
In a separate tweet, Neville posted a screengrab from his Sky Sports segment with an investigative emoji.
Former Arsenal center-back Konstantinos Mavropanos doubled the Hammers' lead 10 minutes into the second half to record a famous win for David Moyes' side.
Mikel Arteta congratulates West Ham after Arsenal result
Mikel Arteta congratulated West Ham United on their win against Arsenal, while also expressing his frustrations with the Gunners' finishing.
The Spanish tactician said after the game (h/t Guardian):
"I congratulate West Ham and praise my players. That’s what I can tell you. This is football. When you look at how much we generated in the game, to see the result is very disappointing. But they were better than us in both boxes. They had two shots, with the penalty three. We had 30."
The hosts had 30 shots (eight on target) at the Emirates, while the visitors got three of their six attempts on target. Arsenal also kept 75% of the ball but it wasn't enough to help them reclaim the top spot in the league.
Liverpool are the new league leaders after gameweek 19 with 42 points, while the Gunners sit second with 40.