ARSENAL achieved a controversial victory over West Ham, aided by several questionable VAR calls.

The Gunners celebrated a 5-2 win in an exciting Premier League encounter against the Hammers on Saturday at the London Stadium.

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The London rivals engaged in an electrifying match that saw seven goals in the first half, with the visitors storming ahead 4-0 by the 36th minute, courtesy of goals from Gabriel Magalhaes, Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz.

West Ham, however, responded valiantly, netting two rapid goals from Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson Palmieri in just two minutes.

Nonetheless, Arsenal stifled West Ham’s momentum in the fifth minute of stoppage time with a controversial penalty awarded to Gabriel, which Bukayo Saka converted successfully.

Mark Halsey, a former Premier League referee and SunSport columnist, discussed the ongoing controversies on Whistleblower.

Halsey began by reviewing Arsenal’s final goal that dashed West Ham‘s hopes of a comeback.

Saka took a corner from the right, and Gabriel’s header flew over the crossbar.

However, referee Anthony Taylor decided that Lukasz Fabianski had struck Gabriel in the face while trying to clear the ball.

Taylor issued a yellow card to Fabianski amidst a bewildered crowd, leading to Saka scoring from the penalty spot.

Halsey explained to SunSport’s Will Pugh, “When the cross comes in, some contact between players is inevitable. It’s inherently subjective.

“We’ve often seen penalties given in similar situations where a goalkeeper comes out; however, there is usually significantly more contact than we witnessed this weekend.

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“Anthony Taylor took a moment to make his decision. VAR won’t overturn it since Howard Webb has emphasized sticking to on-field decisions in subjective situations.

“Had the penalty not been called, it would have remained unawarded. It seemed to take four or five seconds for the call, and it’s possible that Gabriel, holding his face on the ground, and the surrounding players influenced the decision.

“As I mentioned, had it not been given, it wouldn’t have been awarded. The Arsenal players didn’t seem to appeal much; the crowd was subdued, and then suddenly, there was a penalty check for an unexpected reason, and then Arsenal scored.”

Halsey, however, voiced strong criticism regarding how the referee and VAR handled Arsenal’s opener, where Saka’s corner reached Gabriel, who deftly defeated Fabianski with a well-placed header.

Jurrien Timber appeared to have fouled Lucas Paqueta, who was at the near post and could have easily cleared the cross.

‘I’m surprised’

Timber seemed to shove Paqueta from behind, hindering his ability to clear the ball.

Halsey stated, “We’re discussing inconsistencies regarding the decisions made when a goal is scored. Was it a foul, or wasn’t it?

“In my view, it was a clear free-kick, and I’m surprised VAR didn’t suggest a review.”

Halsey also touched on Arsenal’s first penalty, which was awarded when Paqueta fouled Saka inside the West Ham box in the 34th minute.

However, it appeared there was minimal contact, and the England international didn’t go down immediately.

Nonetheless, the decision stood, and North London captain Odegaard converted the penalty, increasing their lead to 3-0.

Halsey explained, “When you extend your leg like that, you’re risking the chance of a foul. I’d prefer to see players go down instantly when challenged.

“There’s no need to take an extra step or two before falling. If the referee hadn’t blown the whistle, it likely wouldn’t have been called. As I mentioned, it was very slight contact, but once the referee made his decision…

“It seems he made a judgment based on how Paqueta fell. He was being cautious in awarding the free-kick.

“We can all see it wasn’t a foul, and he clearly won the ball. However, in real-time, it may have appeared to be a free-kick.”