by Staff Writer
Monday, 11th May 2026
Chris Kavanagh's decision to rule out West Ham's added-on time equaliser against Arsenal has got the entire world of football talking today.
West Ham were denied what appeared to be a perfectly legitimate leveller after Kavanagh and VAR contrived to ignore all but the one infringement that took place during the incident, leading to charges of a lack of consistency by PGMOL.
And it seems like everyone has been keen to have their say on an incident which not only all but condemned West Ham to relegation, but effectively swung the title race in Arsenal's favour.
So we begin this round up with the thoughts of Joe Hart, who is followed by Roy Keane, Made Hermansen and Alan Pardew.
Mads Hermansen (West Ham Utd)
"I'm just really, really angry about this. I can't understand it from a goalkeeping perspective during a full season of illegal blocks and pulling and pushing on corners. In a game like this, to make such a call, I cannot understand.
"You can see the grabs and you can give it as a foul, but you have to be consistent during the season. I cannot understand. We watched the footage back and some other people are saying we could have had a penalty for another challenge on Tomas [Soucek].
"So as you say, every corner there could be fouls given both ways. You can see Dinos is getting pulled, Tomas is getting pulled. And yes, even Pablo before he apparently commits a foul, he's getting pulled around.
"So why? I just cannot understand."
Joe Hart (ex-WHUFC goalkeeper)
"I don’t care what anyone says, that goal should’ve stood. VAR has absolutely ruined moments like that.
"West Ham fought for that equaliser and somehow they’ve found a way to disallow it for the softest little touch you’ll ever see. If that’s Arsenal scoring at the Emirates, nobody even checks it for more than five seconds. And this is what frustrates fans.
"Arsenal have lived off those scrappy, aggressive goals all season. Blocking keepers, crowding the six-yard box, little nudges here and there… suddenly when it happens against them, it’s ‘clear and obvious.’ Give me a break.
"I was a goalkeeper, I know when a keeper’s genuinely impeded and when he’s looking for help. There’s no way you can tell me that was enough contact for the goal to be overturned. The game’s gone soft. West Ham have been robbed, simple as that.
"You wonder why fans think certain clubs get favourable decisions because moments like this keep happening. Arsenal are in a title race and somehow every 50/50 call seems to land their way. That equaliser changes the whole atmosphere of the game and VAR bottled it. Absolutely bottled it.”
Alan Pardew (ex-WHUFC manager)
"It definitely is in a grey area for me, this decision.
"And the thing that you've got to see, if you're going to watch the replays, when you see him get his arm across the player, yes, you can say that's a foul. But before that, Trossard is wrestling him, Pablo.
"He's not even looking at the ball. He's in Pablo's chest. So you could argue that is a foul. Rice is interfering at the back post with Mavropanos, the centre-back, and then he ends up spinning him, trying to spin him round. He ends up in the goal, hence why it hits him after he goes behind the goal line.
"So it hits the ball, then hits him when he's in the actual goal and the goal stands. You could argue both those situations should be in West Ham's favour.
"I am saying that the situation, if Trossard isn't holding Pablo and he's not looking at him, he's looking at him once. If he doesn't do that, then that next foul doesn't happen. So the first foul is actually Trossard against Pablo.
"Obviously Darren England, he hasn't got that kind of time. They've got two minutes. He hasn't got it like we've got it now. We've looked at it about 10, 15, 20 times."
Roy Keane (ex-player)
"I tell ya what, that VAR decision is a complete and utter disgrace – an absolute joke!
"All season long Arsenal have been crowding the goalkeeper on set-pieces, pushing, shoving, blocking – it’s been their main tactic from day one. We saw it clear as day at Old Trafford when Saliba backed straight into Bayindir, stopped him from making a proper save, and they nicked a goal through Calafiori. Nothing given. Not a murmur.
"But now, in a massive title-deciding match against West Ham, when it doesn’t suit them... suddenly it’s a foul on Raya? Are you kidding me?
"What the hell are we even watching in this league anymore? It’s shameless, it’s embarrassing. At this rate just hand the title and the trophy over to Arsenal now, because it’s glaringly obvious what they’re trying to pull. Total, utter disgrace."
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