5 referee decisions that have gone against Arsenal this season

3. Anthony Taylor gets his steps wrong vs Man Utd (March 2025)

This call was far more benign than the previous two in real time, yet it is perhaps more inexcusable than both of them put together.

Last month, Arsenal went to Old Trafford and conceded a free kick in first-half stoppage time. It was in a prime goal-scoring position and Manchester United took full advantage, with Bruno Fernandes sending a brilliant shot over the wall and beyond the reach of David Raya.

Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and admire such quality when it happens. However, it emerged post-match that referee Anthony Taylor had miscounted his steps when setting up a spot for the Gunners wall, drawing his foam line 11.2 yards away from the site of the foul rather than the correct distance of ten yards.

Though a small detail, that extra distance might well have been the difference between a United goal and an Arsenal block – especially from such close range. The fact that Taylor went against the LETTER OF THE LAW (albeit accidently) only adds some delicious irony to our wounds given how often that mantra has been used against us this season.   

That extra yard is not the reason why we dropped points here, but it does highlight the dollop of bad luck Arsenal have felt at the hands of Premier League officials this term – anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

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