Why William Saliba handball was given after VAR check in Chelsea vs Arsenal despite complaints
William Saliba's handball meant Cole Palmer fired home a penalty to give Chelsea the lead in a fiesty London derby against Arsenal this afternoon.
The Gunners defender was trying to beat Ukrainian international Mykhailo Mudryk to the ball in the air when Mudryk's header that was goalbound was blocked by the outstretched arm of the Frenchman. The ensuing process saw referee Craig Kavanagh got tot the VAR monitor pitchside and eventually awarded the penalty.
Cole Palmer managed to step up and fire low to David Raya's right to give the Blues the lead, who are hoping to continue their fine stretch of form they managed before the international break. There have been many contentious decisions made by VAR around the handball rule, with clubs and fans often confused about the wording of the law.
PGMOL and the FA are trying to crack down on the issue and make it clearer when there is and isn't a handball offence. The current wording is as follows:
«It is an offence if a player:
Chelsea vs Arsenal LIVE — Cole Palmer penalty gives Blues lead as Gunners struggle to start
»It is also an offence if a player scores in the opponents’ goal:
Therefore, it can be determined that VAR referee Jarred Gillett believed that Saliba's handball had made his body unnaturally bigger and in turn stopped Mudryk's header going towards goal, meaning it was given as a penalty.
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