Why Mikel Arteta was left frustrated with VAR after Aaron Ramsdale incident in Arsenal defeat

Arsenal suffered a 3-1 defeat against West Ham in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday night. The Gunners performed well below their usual standards — but the Hammers' first goal sparked controversy after Aaron Ramsdale appeared to be fouled by Tomas Soucek before Ben White turned the ball into his own net.

David Moyes' side started the second half strong as goals from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen put the hosts 3-0 up. Martin Odegaard came on as a substitute to score a late consolation goal for Arsenal — but it was not enough to stop them heading out of the Carabao Cup.

Speaking after the defeat against West Ham, Arteta was asked about the incident between Ramsdale and Soucek for the Hammers' first goal, to which the Arsenal boss responded: “If there’s VAR, there’s no goal. That’s for sure.

«I understand that for the referee this is difficult because of the angle and the amount of people that are there [around Ramsdale] affects the game. Once again, I don't want to use that as an excuse because we can still compete for the ball much better than we did and be in better positions.

»But obviously that ticks something in the game that is very important — which is momentum," Arteta added. Soucek was spotted pulling Ramsdale's shirt as Bowen delivered the corner kick — ultimately stopping the Gunners' goalkeeper from claiming the cross before White headed into his own net.

If this was a Premier League fixture — the goal would have likely been ruled out for a foul on Ramsdale. However, the Carabao Cup does not use VAR, with the reasoning behind the decision being that the EFL want to ensure every team has an equal chance.

Every word Mikel Arteta said on West Ham loss, Ramsdale's display and Smith Rowe injury

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