At a Glance:
- Gary Lineker on Pablo’s foul on Arsenal ace David Raya.
- Why Lineker would be upset if was a West Ham fan.
- Mikel Arteta praises the refereeing.
Controversy ensued at the London Stadium when Callum Wilson’s late goal was disallowed due to Pablo’s foul on David Raya during Arsenal’s 1-0 win against West Ham United.
Peter Schmeichel felt Raya was not fouled and claimed that the Gunners themselves have held on to opposition players inside the box in similar fashion during set-piece situations and been unpunished.
Ultimately, Mikel Arteta’s side survived a scare and clinched the all-important three points.
After Arsenal beat West Ham on Sunday, Gary Lineker commented on the controversial decision.
Gary Lineker on the problem with David Raya foul after West Ham vs Arsenal
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker claimed that if he supported either West Ham or Manchester City, he would be upset about Arsenal getting a free-kick for Pablo’s foul on Raya.
“Probably a foul but that’s not what VAR is supposed to be, is it?
“If I were a West Ham fan or indeed a Manchester City fan, I think I’d be a little bit angry tonight because there was a lot of fouling going on in that corner. There was a lot of grappling by Arsenal players on the West Ham attackers.”
Lineker added: “I know that goalkeepers are protected more than anyone else and it was probably a foul on him but do you not then look at what happened before where people are being held, which is probably more of an obvious foul.”
What Mikel Arteta said about David Raya VAR incident against West Ham
Gary Lineker’s admission will be supported by several West Ham and Manchester City fans as many feel Raya and Arsenal got away scot-free with the decision.
Arsenal’s excellent defence or Martin Odegaard’s virtuosic cameo against West Ham will not make the headlines as the divisive decision will in the coming days.
However, Mikel Arteta praised the refereeing for the call.
"I think it is very brave but very consistent with what they have been talking about all season. Congratulations because they made a big call in very difficult circumstances." 👏
— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) May 10, 2026
Mikel Arteta on the VAR controversy 😲 pic.twitter.com/kHTmVc8fe9
Arteta said via HaytersTV: “In the most chaotic circumstances, when two teams are playing for their lives, a call from the refs that I think is very brave but very consistent with what they’ve been talking about all season.
“When you look at the action, I think it’s an obvious error and the goal has to be disallowed, so congratulations, because they made a big call.”
