It wasn't as routine as Mikel Arteta and his entourage would've hoped as title-chasing Arsenal beat relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers with two own goals on Saturday evening at the Emirates Stadium – and it was in the 94th minute when they secured all three points. Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett, however, claims a major refereeing decision was incorrect.
In what was expected to be a simple night at the office, Arsenal managed to find a breakthrough in the 70th minute after an hour of pushing and prodding. Bukayo Saka's corner was whipped in, it hit the post and then bounced off the back of a diving Sam Johnstone, who inadvertently turned the ball into his own net to allow Arsenal to take the lead.
Wolves substitute Tolu Arokodare thought he had scored the equaliser in the early embers of added time after beating Piero Hincapie in the air and nodding home past Arsenal shot stopper David Raya. Four minutes later, though, the Londoners had regained their one-goal lead over the Premier League's basement club – this time thanks to a Yerson Mosquera own goal.
Hackett Provides Verdict on Major Wrong Decision in Arsenal's 2-1 Win Over Wolves
hwang arsenal
Back to the matter at hand and Hwang Hee-chan – who was, arguably, the away side's biggest threat with his relentless running and pace on the counter – could somewhat count himself lucky after walking away with just a yellow card for his challenge on Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly. Ultimately, it had no bearing on the result as Arteta's men still ran out triumphant.
As Arsenal began to get a stronghold on the Emirates Stadium-based affair, Hwang went recklessly into a challenge on Lewis-Skelly with his studs up. He caught the teenager on the ankle and referee Robert Jones decided a yellow card was the correct decision; a quick look from those manning VAR also decided the non-sending off made sense. On that call, Hackett said:
“When you look at this challenge, there is no doubt that this player has fulfilled the excessive force requirement [for a red card]," Hackett said, per Football Insider. "He enters the challenge at pace with a straight leg, studs showing, and whilst low, is still endangering the safety of an opponent. The player was off the ground and, therefore, could not stop or change direction.
“I have no doubt that the excuse will be that ‘we stuck with yellow because the challenge was low down’, but for me, there’s an element of malice in the challenge. It should have been red.”
For what it's worth, the Premier League Match Centre took to X (formerly Twitter) following VAR's decision to uphold Jones' initial call. "The referee’s call of yellow card was checked and confirmed by VAR – with Hwang deemed to be pulling out of the challenge on Lewis-Skelly and the contact on the foot deemed to be a reckless foul," they wrote to clear up any confusion.
'All The Criteria' – Mark Clattenburg Agrees With Hackett's Verdict
Mark Clattenburg
No doubt serious foul play, Jones' decision to allow Hwang to stay on the pitch had very little influence on the outcome of the Premier League encounter – but the South Korea international was Wolves' livewire: he worked well in a two-man striker partnership with Jorgen Strand Larsen and had a huge chance in the first half. His solitary shot was on target.
Mark Clattenburg has also spoken out about Hwang avoiding the wrath of a red card, and he agreed with the post-match assessment of Hackett. “It’s got speed, force and malice as Hee-chan’s foot is high and studs are showing, which hits his opponent’s leg," he said.
“This can clearly endanger the safety of his opponent. If Hee-chan wanted to avoid the contact, then he could have lowered and turned his foot to reduce the studs and impact point on the leg.
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“This is another example of the VAR frustration in the Premier League, where decisions are not consistent on a match-by-match basis," Clattenburg – one of the best referees in the history of the English top flight post-1992 – concluded, per Arsenal Insider. Arsenal travel to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in search of three points next weekend while Wolves host London outfit Brentford.