Former British referee: VAR was completely correct in the Arsenal - Man Utd match

In the 88th minute, when the score was 1-1, Man Utd launched a counterattack. Alejandro Garnacho escaped, caught Casemiro's pass and then shot low to the near corner, beating goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. While the away players were celebrating, VAR stepped in, drew a line and quickly determined that Garnancho was offside because he was standing under Arsenal's last midfielder, Gabriel. Referee Anthony Taylor therefore did not recognize Man Utd's goal.

"It was an extremely tight situation," Dean commented on Daily Mail (UK). "I understand why the linesman did not raise the flag. At first glance, I suspected an offside error. Technology cannot be wrong. The line proved that Garnacho was offside."

Previously, VAR influenced Arsenal to withdraw a penalty. In the 60th minute, Kai Havertz entered the Man Utd penalty area and fell under the impact of Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Initially, referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the 11m mark, but changed his decision after reviewing the video.

"I can understand how referee Taylor made that right decision," Dean commented. "From the stands, it looked like a clear penalty. But from another angle, the Man Utd defender could not be faulted. Havertz's foot movement caused a collision with Wan. -Bissaka. I can understand why Anthony blew the penalty. But the defender made no mistake on this ball. VAR did a good job."

However, former Man Utd defender Gary Neville was surprised when the referee did not give Arsenal a penalty in the above situation. He said: "Havertz was able to get into the space between Casemiro and Wan-Bissaka. In fact, his left foot was blocked. I don't think the penalty was canceled. Havertz dribbled the ball with a clear purpose."

This match, Man Utd opened the scoring thanks to Marcus Rashford in the 27th minute, but was immediately equalized by Martin Odegaard. After missing Garnacho's goal, they let Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus consecutively score in the second half's injury time and lost 1-3. This result made Erik ten Hag's teachers and students drop to 11th, six points behind the top of the table Man City. After four rounds, they won two but also lost two. Meanwhile, Arsenal rose to fifth, equal to Tottenham, Liverpool, West Ham and two points behind Man City.

Dean was once the most senior referee in the Premier League, officiating 553 matches since 2000 and drawing 114 red cards. Last year, he retired.