The VAR Review: Arsenal offside goal, Anthony Gordon penalty

Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made, and are they correct?

After each weekend we take a look at the major incidents, to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.

– How VAR decisions have affected every Prem club in 2023-24
– VAR in the Premier League: Ultimate guide

In this week’s VAR Review: Why was Eddie Nketiah ruled to be offside when Gabriel Martinelli scored for Arsenal at Everton? Why wasn’t Anthony Gordon’s penalty overturned for Newcastle United against Brentford? And was the referee right to stick by his penalty decision at Aston Villa?

Possible offside: Nketiah before Martinelli goal

What happened: Arsenal took the lead in the 19th minute when Fabio Vieira played in Martinelli, who finished past Jordan Pickford. However, there was a VAR check for offside against Nketiah.

VAR decision: Goal disallowed.

VAR review: The ball came to Nketiah from Everton striker Beto, so how could the Arsenal player possibly be offside? It’s the return of the “deliberate play” aspect of the rule which created a unique offside situation, the likes of which we may not see again.

The word “deliberate” causes great confusion when “controlled” would be easier to understand and more logical — not just for supporters but players, managers and pundits too.

A player can only be judged to have made a “deliberate play” if they have control of the outcome of their action. So, if a player is making an attempted block or interception, this cannot lead to a controlled outcome. Thus, this can’t be a “deliberate play.” And if it cannot be a “deliberate play,” the offside phase cannot be reset.

Gabriel received the ball in the centre-circle and tried to play a square pass. Beto had closed down the Arsenal defender and stuck out a leg to cut off that pass. The ball came off Beto’s shin and deflected up the pitch to Nketiah, who…