VAR audio from West Ham’s disallowed late equaliser against Arsenal has revealed how officials ruled Pablo had fouled David Raya.
VAR audio from West Ham United’s disallowed late equaliser against Arsenal has been released, offering a clearer look at how officials reached one of the biggest decisions of the Premier League title run-in.
Callum Wilson thought he had scored a stoppage-time equaliser at the London Stadium, only for the goal to be ruled out after referee Chris Kavanagh was sent to the pitchside monitor. The final decision was that Pablo had fouled David Raya before the ball crossed the line.
The audio shows the officials first identifying a “possible foul on keeper” before working through the available angles. Kavanagh’s initial on-field view was that there was no offence.
“I don’t see any foul from your position,” the referee said during the review process. “It’s goal.”
That changed once VAR began breaking down the contact on Raya. One of the officials highlighted Pablo’s arm across the Arsenal goalkeeper and the impact that had on his ability to challenge for the ball.
“For me, there is a foul, potential foul with the arm,” the VAR official said. “His hand is holding his arm down. That’s impactful for me.”
The discussion then focused on whether the contact was strong enough to justify sending Kavanagh to the monitor. The officials also considered other incidents in the penalty area, including contact involving Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice, but kept returning to the timing and effect of the challenge on Raya.
“The left arm there, he’s holding, is across the body,” the VAR official said. “He’s across the head and he’s holding the left arm of Raya there, which impedes his ability to get to the ball properly.”
That was the key phrase.
The issue was not simply whether Raya had been touched. It was whether he had been prevented from using his arm to deal with the cross. In a crowded penalty area, that distinction matters because set-piece contact is constant, but not all of it reaches the threshold for a foul.
After more angles were checked, VAR recommended an on-field review for a possible foul on the goalkeeper, while also asking Kavanagh to look at the wider sequence.
“I recommend on-field review for a possible foul on the goalkeeper,” the VAR official told him, “but there are some other incidents to look at while you’re at the monitor as well.”
Once at the screen, Kavanagh was shown the decisive angle. The explanation given to him was direct: “The left arm of Pablo comes across Raya, the left arm of Raya, as he goes to win the ball.”
Kavanagh also reviewed the other contact in the box, including Trossard’s involvement with Pablo and Rice’s position behind another West Ham player. He was not persuaded those incidents changed the decision.
“I don’t think there’s much in that at all,” Kavanagh said while looking at the Trossard contact.
The referee then made the call. “West Ham number 19 commits a foul on the goalkeeper. Final decision is direct free-kick.”
The released audio supports the argument that the decision was made through process rather than guesswork. The officials did not ignore the wider pushing and holding in the area, deciding the clear offence was Pablo restricting Raya before the goalkeeper could properly challenge for the ball and ahead of any other fouls taking place.
West Ham will still feel aggrieved by the outcome, given the timing and the consequence of the goal being ruled out. That frustration is understandable. A late equaliser against Arsenal would have changed the result and had a major impact on the title race and add to their relegation fight.
But the audio explains why the decision went Arsenal’s way. The officials identified contact on Raya’s arm, judged it to be impactful, checked the surrounding incidents, and then gave Kavanagh the chance to make the final decision at the monitor. For Arsenal, it was a crucial intervention. For the Premier League, it is another example of how much scrutiny now sits on every set-piece decision in the final minutes of a major game.