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The Premier League has clarified why a penalty wasn’t awarded for a possible handball by Marc Cucurella during Arsenal’s meeting with Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The incident came in the 12th minute. Jurrien Timber chased a bouncing ball into the box and nudged Cucurella, who seemed to handle the ball as he fell.
Timber then crossed the ball across goal to start a scramble that featured deflections off Wesley Fofana and Benoît Badiashile. The move eventually ended when Declan Rice blazed over the bar from inside the area.
The Gunners instantly claimed a penalty, but referee Chris Kavanagh waved play on. VAR reviewed the incident, but no penalty was awarded. The Premier League later explained the decision, stating on its X account:
"The referee’s call of no penalty for handball by Cucurella was checked and confirmed by VAR – with his arm deemed to be in an expected position with no clear or deliberate action towards the ball."
Under current handball rules, a penalty is typically awarded only when a player’s arm is in an unnatural position or if there is a purposeful movement toward the ball. Though the explanation was consistent with those guidelines, the decision may provoke some debate among fans across both London clubs.
Arsenal tighten grip on second place with narrow Chelsea win
Arsenal consolidated their second-place position in the Premier League with a vital 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Merino scored in the first half, heading in a corner taken by Martin Odegaard, to prevent Mikel Arteta’s side extending a three-game winless streak.
The Gunners made a lively start, with Leandro Trossard going close as well as effort from Declan Rice and Gabriel Martinelli early on. They were rewarded for their dominance after 20 minutes when Merino scored. Chelsea, bereft of their top scorer Cole Palmer, had no response and struggled to offer much in attack.
Gunners goalkeeper David Raya had a scare just before the break, though. He fumbled Marc Cucurella’s speculative volley and it went mere inches past the far post. There was little else for the goalie to do, as Arsenal maintained their gap of 12 points to league leaders Liverpool, with nine matches to play.
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Edited by Aditya Singh