"VAR was on point tonight" - Newcastle United co-owner takes cheeky dig at Arsenal after 1-0 win
Co-owner of Newcastle United, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, couldn't resist taking a playful shot at Arsenal after their 1-0 triumph over the Gunners at St. James' Park on Saturday, November 4.
The sole goal from Anthony Gordon in the second half set the teams apart. Yet, the game was rife with debate, most of it predominantly focusing on the decisions made by referee Stuart Attwell and VAR.
Kai Havertz' ill-timed challenge on Sean Longstaff was the first bone of contention in the match and the episode ended with the referee booking the German forward and three Newcastle players for excessive arguing.
However, the main drama occurred as Gordon netted what would be the match-winner for Newcastle United. VAR's process was on full display, as the officials had to make three separate checks.
It began with verifying if Joe Willock had kept the ball within play during the build-up to the goal. After it was determined that the ball did not cross the line, they scrutinized a potential foul involving Joelinton and Arsenal defender Gabriel. After deciding no foul had taken place, the check culminated in a review of Gordon's potential offside position.
The prolonged five-minute review concluded with the goal being allowed to stand. Following this, Newcastle United co-owner Ghodoussi took to Instagram, where he posted a candid shot of himself alongside England men's national team manager, Gareth Southgate. His cheeky caption read:
"VAR was on point tonight."
An irate Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's manager, certainly did not agree with the decision to uphold the goal. After the game, he called it both an "absolute disgrace" and "embarrassing".
On the field, Eddie Howe's troops are certainly making their presence felt. They are placed sixth in the league with 20 points from 11 matches and are currently on a seven-match unbeaten streak in the league.
But there's little time for the Magpies to rest on their laurels as they are set to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday, November 7.
Arsenal stand firm behind manager Mikel Arteta
Arsenal have publically thrown their weight behind manager Mikel Arteta's condemnation of the officiating that occurred at St James' Park.
In a fervent post-match briefing, Arteta slammed VAR’s verdict to uphold the goal. A recent statement from the club backed the manager (via the official website):
"Arsenal Football Club wholeheartedly supports Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors on Saturday evening."
The statement concluded with the following words:
“We support the ongoing efforts of Chief Refereeing Officer, Howard Webb and would welcome working together to achieve the world-class officiating standards our league demands.”
It is likely that Mikel Arteta will be fined for speaking angrily against VAR.