Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty in the first half of their Champions League semi-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, according to former Premier League referee Keith Hackett.
The Gunners found themselves 1-0 down in the tie after just four minutes thanks to Ousmane Dembele’s goal. But after weathering the storm for the first 20 minutes, Arsenal got a foothold in the game
In the 37th minute, Mikel Merino made his way into the box and looked set to draw his side level, only for a last-minute challenge by PSG man Joao Neves. It led to shouts for a penalty from the Arsenal camp, but they were waved away by the referees
Replays showed contact with Merino’s thigh before Neves took the ball. It’s a decision that Hackett feels should have been overturned by VAR.
“The challenge from the PSG player is careless and despite the great position taken up by the referee there is contact,” he told Football Insider . “A penalty kick should have been awarded.”
It’s not a view shared by another former referee Mark Clattenberg. During commentary on Prime Video, he delivered his verdict on the decision.
The referee confuses the Arsenal fans by looking like he’s pointing to the spot,” he said.
“You can clearly see he’s in a very good position that the defender clearly touches the ball before there’s any contact on the forwards. Therefore, the decision to play on is the correct one, but the referee confuses everybody by looking like he’s pointing to the spot.”
Merino was in the action again in the second half with the midfielder heading Declan Rice’s free kick into the net. However, VAR intervened to cut the celebrations short and rule the goal out for offside.
Arsenal face PSG in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on April 29 and fans can watch it free with an Amazon Prime subscription or by signing up for a 30-day free trial.
