West Ham Lodge Official Complaint After Referee Chris Kavanagh Disallows Callum Wilson Equaliser vs Arsenal

West Ham’s Callum Wilson scored a stoppage-time equaliser at the London Stadium, but referee Chris Kavanagh disallowed it after VAR Darren England sent him to the pitchside monitor and ruled the goal was a foul on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

“West Ham are set to request an explanation from The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after their equalising goal against Arsenal on Sunday was disallowed following a VAR review”

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The decision came after a review that took six minutes, with Kavanagh ultimately ruling that West Ham forward Pablo had an arm across Raya, restricting him from getting to the corner that led to Wilson’s shot.

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Arsenal’s 1-0 win extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points over Manchester City, while West Ham remained rooted in the bottom three with only two games to go.

The dispute centered on the physical contact in the penalty area, with the disallowed goal described as a pivotal moment for both the title race and the relegation battle.

West Ham said they would request an explanation from The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after Wilson’s equaliser was disallowed following the VAR review.

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo said, "They have to solve it," and added that the refereeing body should "come to the clubs and explain and show why sometimes it is, sometimes it's not."

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised the officials’ process, saying the call was "very brave" and "very consistent with what they have been talking about all season."

Gary Neville called the overturning decision "the biggest moment in VAR history" and said it could have made Arsenal champions, describing the moment as "an earthquake, a tremor of a moment" on commentary at the London Stadium.

The ruling left West Ham in a perilous position in the relegation battle with 36 points from 36 games, and the Telegraph reported they were one point behind 17th-placed Tottenham Hotspur with Leeds facing Tottenham on Monday night.

“Janusz Michallik reacts to the decision to overturn Callum Wilson's equaliser for West Ham vs”

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The Independent said the disallowed goal meant West Ham were denied a potentially decisive day at both ends of the table, while Arsenal’s win kept them closing in on the Premier League title.

Sky Sports reported that Arsenal were now two wins away from clinching the title, with Neville saying the decision could have "just made Arsenal champions" if the VAR check had gone the other way.

Looking ahead, the sources set Arsenal’s remaining league matches as hosting Burnley at the Emirates on May 15 and traveling to Crystal Palace on May 24, while West Ham’s next fixture was away at Newcastle on May 17.