Arsenal beat Hull to go top as VAR decision sparks debate

Arsenal beat Hull City 1-0 to go into the international break top of the Premier League, but a disputed VAR decision over a possible penalty for Kai Havertz threatened to overshadow Martin Ødegaard’s late winner.

Ødegaard bundled the ball in from close range in the 72nd minute at the Emirates, giving Arsenal a fourth successive league win. They have taken 27 points from their first 10 matches, matching their best start under manager Mikel Arteta, and have won nine of those games.

The match’s flashpoint came when referee Farai Hallam went to the pitchside monitor to review a shirt pull by Hull defender Nobel Mendy on Havertz. The referee instead ruled Havertz offside, and play restarted with a free-kick to Hull.

BBC football issues correspondent Dale Johnson said the decision turned on whether Havertz could have become involved in play in a later phase. He noted that the offside attacker may still be fouled before playing the ball, but that officials also consider whether a team-mate could play it first and put the attacker onside. Johnson said Havertz was the only Arsenal player with a chance of becoming involved, unlike in some earlier cases where penalties had been awarded.

Arteta said Arsenal needed to be more efficient in front of goal. He said his side had been one-on-one with the goalkeeper twice and had other chances, adding that they could be too focused on scoring “a perfect goal” against teams defending deep.

Arsenal have the league’s best defence, but BBC Sport reported that they had not scored more than twice in a league match since the opening day. The club are also without Bukayo Saka, who is recovering from a quadriceps injury. Despite their narrow wins, Arsenal have won nine of 10 league matches and lead the table going into the international break.