Gary Lineker has described VAR as ‘tedious’ after Arsenal had a goal ruled out against Manchester United in their Premier League match on Sunday.
The Gunners thought they had taken an early lead at Old Trafford when Martin Odegaard expertly played in Gabriel Martinelli, who confidently finished past David De Gea.
However, VAR advised referee Paul Tierney that Odegaard had fouled Christian Eriksen in the buildup and Arsenal’s goal was ultimately ruled out. Manchester United went on to win the game 3-1, thanks largely to a brace from Marcus Rashford.
However, questionable officiating was once again the main talking point after the encounter and former World Cup Golden Boot winner Lineker has clearly had enough.
Following the Gunners’ disallowed goal, the ex-England striker tweeted:
“Here we go again. VAR is so tedious.”
The tweet came in response to several controversial incidents over the weekend in the Premier League. West Ham manager David Moyes was furious that his side were denied a late equalizer at Chelsea after Jarrod Bowen was penalized for an incredibly soft infringement on Eduoard Mendy.
Meanwhile, Newcastle supporters were angered by the decision to disallow their winning goal against Crystal Palace. Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister’s superb strike against Leicester was also ruled out after a check for offside that lasted nearly four minutes.
Brentford were also incredibly fortunate not to concede a penalty against Leeds United, while Philippe Coutinho was incorrectly judged offside as he scored for Aston Villa against Manchester City.
West Ham boss David Moyes claims he has ‘lost faith’ in VAR following shocking decision against Chelsea
West Ham United boss Moyes couldn’t contain his anger following the decision to rule out his team’s late equalizer at Stamford Bridge.
As per Sky Sports, he told reporters:
“The goalkeeper comes to take it and fumbles it out of his hands. Then he acted as if it was a shoulder injury. I’m amazed that VAR sent the referee to the screen. It was a ridiculously bad decision.
“Today there is no excuse for that not to be a goal, none whatsoever. The sad thing is that this is the level of our elite refereeing at the moment. They’ve got new people in charge who are trying to do something. I’ve lost faith in them today, in the people who are putting up for VAR. After watching it, I can’t see how the goal was not given.
“The referees said they were going to cut back on soft challenges and that was unbelievably soft.”