'Massive': Former referee says Southampton were hurt by 'obvious' VAR mistake in 3-1 defeat to Arsenal

10/08/2024 05:45 AM

Southampton put up a good fight against a tough Arsenal side on Saturday.

A first Southampton goal for Cameron Archer put the Saints 1-0 up at the Emirates Stadium, before strikes from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka turned things around for the Gunners.

The result leaves Southampton 19th in the Premier League and winless after seven outings.

However, Russell Martin – who could soon be sacked – has a valid reason to feel aggrieved, as former Premier League referee Mark Halsey spotted an “obvious” error from VAR which had a huge impact on proceedings.

Mark Halsey says Gabriel Martinelli goal against Southampton should not have stood

Halsey has now told The Sun that Martinelli’s goal in the 68th minute, which put Arsenal 2-1 up, should have been disallowed.

For those unaware of what happened, the ball found its way to the Brazilian at the back post where he slotted beyond Aaron Ramsdale – already a popular figure at Southampton – although Mikel Merino, who was offside, jumped for the ball, surely having an influence on the play.

The 63-year-old said: “I thought it was offside, because you are offside if you challenge an opponent for the ball or clearly attempt to play a ball which is close when the action impacts on an opponent.

“This is making an obvious action which clearly impacts the ability of an opponent to play the ball. So if you’re looking at offside, technically he was offside because he did challenge for the ball and then ducked his head.

“It clearly impacted on Aaron Ramsdale because like you say, he thinks Merino is going to win the ball, but he ducks at the last moment and then leaves it for Martinelli.

“So for me, I think that should have been disallowed, that goal, because it was clearly offside. He clearly made an attempt to play the ball. It is inconsistencies again. It is a massive moment in the game.”

Russell Martin should be furious as Southampton wronged

We cannot understand why VAR decided not to intervene on this occasion.

Offside players either making a gesture towards the ball – or blocking the goalkeeper’s line of sight – has become a common offence in recent times which is typically flagged up, so the fact it was ignored on this occasion feels like a major oversight.

The lack of consistency when it comes to decisions is bizarre, and Martin should be furious.