Arsenal ought to have been awarded a penalty of their 1-1 draw with Southampton on Sunday for the foul on Gabriel Jesus, in keeping with former Premier League referee Mark Halsey.
Referee Robert Jones opted to not award a penalty within the first half of Arsenal’s match at St Mary’s regardless of Jesus clearly being held again by Duje Caleta-Automotive inside Southampton’s space.
VAR official Peter Bankes opted to not name Jones over to the pitch-side monitor to evaluate his resolution, whereas Southampton went on to attain an equaliser within the second half to earn a degree.
The choice additional highlights the inconsistency with Premier League officiating as Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay and Brentford centre-back Kristoffer Ajer both gave away penalties for similar offences over the weekend.
‘Arsenal should have been awarded a first-half penalty when Gabriel Jesus was hauled down by Southampton’s Duje Caleta-Car,’ Halsey wrote in his column for The Sun.
‘The incident highlighted the inconsistency of decision-making by officials over holding offences this weekend, with Chelsea and Aston Villa benefiting in similar situations.
‘Caleta-Car wasn’t goal-side and tried to make life difficult for Jesus but he committed himself to a clear holding offence and referee Robert Jones should have pointed to the spot.
‘If Jones didn’t see it, VAR official Peter Bankes needed to intervene.’
Halsey also believes that Saka should have avoided a yellow card in the first half after he was booked for simulation.
‘Yes, Saka initiated the contact but Jones didn’t need to get his book out,’ Halsey wrote.
‘I felt he could have played on and avoided looking for trouble.’
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