The PGMOL has released the audio regarding Gordon’s goal against Arsenal in response to intense scrutiny from Gunners manager Mikel Arteta.
Arteta strongly criticized the goal, claiming it was an “absolute disgrace” due to his belief that the ball had gone out of play, Gabriel Magalhaes was fouled, and Gordon was offside in the buildup to the goal.
Arsenal reiterated their manager’s stance in a subsequent statement.
The audio of the incident was made public on Sky Sports’ Match Officials Mic’d Up, revealing a potentially embarrassing error by the VAR official.
Following three separate VAR checks that found no conclusive evidence of the ball going out of play or of Joelinton fouling Arsenal’s Gabriel, the final decision revolved around Gordon’s potential offside position.
Initially, the VAR official seemed confident about Gordon’s position, stating, “Okay so he’s clearly on. Looking at Gabriel’s body position there, his shoulder…”
However, a humbling moment ensued when the assistant VAR reminded the main official about the offside rule, specifying that the second rearmost opponent was the goalkeeper, impacting the decision.
Despite the awkward exchange, they ultimately agreed that there was “no conclusive evidence” to prove Gordon was offside based on the available angles.
Addressing the offside issue, PGMOL chief Howard Webb mentioned, “So again, no conclusive evidence that Gordon was offside when the ball was last touched. The VAR diligently reviewed this and found no clear evidence to justify overturning the goal. The process was indeed accurate.”