How pundits reacted to Arsenal's VAR drama against West Ham

As Arsenal won 1-0 at West Ham to restore their five point lead at the top of the Premier League table, a huge call by VAR has become the main point of discussion over the past 24 hours.

Deep into stoppage time, the Hammers saw a dramatic equaliser ruled out after Callum Wilson fired in following a corner. David Raya was deemed to have been fouled by Pablo, prompting Chris Kavanagh to disallow the strike following an on-field review.

That moment has of course caused plenty of outrage in the footballing world, with fans, rivals and the media torn on whether it was the right call. Here's how the pundits reacted to the bold VAR call at the London stadium.

How pundits reacted to Arsenal's VAR drama against West Ham

Agreed with the decision

Gary Neville - The former Manchester United defender is far from being one of Arsenal's biggest fans, but he agreed with the VAR call on this occasion. Claiming it was the "biggest moment in VAR history in the Premier League", Neville said: "Darren England made the right decision and Arsenal breathe the biggest sigh of relief, probably that those fans have breathed for a long, long time." He later said in his podcast that the referee "got it absolutely spot on."

Danny Murphy - An FA Cup winner with Liverpool, Murphy felt the controversy was rising because it was the Gunners involved in the goal. He said: "Just because it's Arsenal, we shouldn't get it distorted. It's a foul and there shouldn't be any controversy to it. The only reason there is is because it's Arsenal."

Wayne Rooney - Speaking on his BBC show, Rooney said: "As soon as you've seen the replay, you're like 'Yeah it's a foul. That goal's not going to stand.'"

Ian Wright - Appearing on Sky Sports after the game, Wright couldn't hold in his joy when he said: "Obviously you look back at it and his arm's across him. For me, it was an easy one to give in such a tense moment."

Jamie Redknapp - Former Tottenham star Redknapp acknowledged the decision was brave, but it was correct, saying: "It was a brave VAR call but it was the right one."

Disagreed with the decision

Peter Schmeichel - Ex-Manchester United and City goalkeeper Schmeichel was quick to disagree with the decision and highlight past moments of the season when he said: "What really makes me angry is that Arsenal would never be top of the league if that's a free kick. That's how they've scored so many goals, by blocking people, holding people, doing all kinds of things. It takes VAR five minutes. He starts it over again and again... that in itself puts so much doubt into that decision. I think it's so wrong. I just don't understand why all of a sudden that's a free kick, because it's not been for any teams all the way throughout the season."

Shay Given - The former Aston Villa shotstopper, who conceded four to Arsenal in the 2015 FA Cup final, didn't quite disagree with the decision, but made his frustration with the call clear when he said: "The thing that grates me is we have seen on numerous occasions with Arsenal this season, goalkeepers and defenders getting blocked off and the goal stands. Everyone is frustrated about the consistency of the refereeing decision. Why are some goals allowed to stand and this was disallowed? There is so much at stake at the bottom of the league and the very top. The other thing is Gabriel is holding, [Martin] Odegaard is holding, [Leandro] Trossard is holding before the foul even happens on Raya. When does the referee decide that's the foul he wants to pick and not the previous foul?"

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