Premier League panel rules Sunderland penalty against Arsenal was wrong but clears VAR

A Premier League Key Match Incidents panel has unanimously ruled that the penalty awarded against Arsenal at Sunderland on 12 September was incorrect — but stopped short of condemning VAR Stuart Attwell for failing to overturn it. Referee John Brooks had penalised defender Ezri Konsa for holding Dan Ballard during a corner, before David Raya saved Enzo Le Fee’s spot-kick as Arsenal secured a 2-0 win.

The five-person panel — comprising three former players and coaches, a Premier League representative, and a Pro Ref delegate — rejected the on-field call, stating: “Although it was a very untidy challenge in which Konsa initially had arms around Ballard, Ballard engages in a holding action which pulls Konsa onto him so they both fall to the floor.” Despite that finding, the panel backed Attwell 3-2, ruling his decision not to intervene did not constitute a clear and obvious error.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had been furious after the match, prompting the club to contact Pro Ref for an explanation. “The decision is not acceptable,” Arteta said at the time. “I watched it 20 times and I cannot find a way to understand how they’d think to give a penalty in that situation or the way the VAR has to intervene. At this level with all the work we put in, this cannot happen.”

The same panel also addressed the Manchester derby of 13 September, unanimously ruling that Erling Haaland’s winner at Old Trafford should have been disallowed for offside. VAR Matt Donohue and assistant Blake Antrobus had cleared the goal, but the panel found they failed to flag Enzo Fernandez for interfering with play from an offside position.

Pro Ref chief refereeing officer Howard Webb said Donohue had “tunnel vision”, focusing solely on clearing Haaland rather than checking whether Fernandez’s presence affected the defender and goalkeeper. Webb added that Antrobus should have broadened his focus. Both officials were stood down from Premier League matches the following weekend, and Pro Ref contacted Manchester United to acknowledge the error and promise a process review.

The panel stated: “Fernandez is in an offside position, attempts to play the ball that is close to him, and impacts the ability of the defender and the goalkeeper to play the ball in the process. A VAR review should have been recommended for a missed subjective offside in the attacking possession phase.”

The panel also gave unanimous backing to the red card shown to Manchester City’s Phil Foden for kicking Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes during the same fixture.