Declan Rice’s quick thinking during a free-kick put Arsenal’s Kai Havertz in a great position to score against Chelsea. Rice’s well-timed pass sent Havertz through on goal, and he calmly slotted the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, finding the bottom corner of the net. Initially, the goal was awarded by referee Anthony Taylor, and Havertz celebrated by placing a finger to his lips, seemingly taunting the Chelsea fans, his former club. However, the celebration was short-lived as VAR (Video Assistant Referee) stepped in to review the play. After the review, it was determined that Havertz had positioned himself ahead of Levi Colwill before Rice played the pass, putting him offside. As a result, the goal was disallowed.
The Premier League Match Centre, which was introduced this season as part of efforts to improve transparency, issued a statement on X explaining the situation. They clarified that VAR had confirmed Havertz was offside and had recommended that the goal be ruled out. This move to provide clear explanations for VAR decisions is part of a broader effort by PGMOL, led by Howard Webb, to make match officiating more transparent for fans.
Arsenal had been hoping to bounce back from a difficult period when they faced Chelsea. Their form had been poor in recent weeks, as they had suffered a 1-0 loss to Inter Milan in the Champions League and followed it up with another 1-0 defeat to Newcastle in the Premier League. Their last league win had been on October 5, when they triumphed 3-1 over Southampton. Since then, they had experienced back-to-back defeats to Bournemouth (2-0) and a 2-2 draw with Liverpool, stalling their momentum.
Despite these setbacks, Arsenal’s chances of climbing back to the top of the Premier League table remained alive. This was due to Manchester City’s struggles, as they suffered a surprising fourth consecutive loss, going down 2-1 to Brighton. Liverpool, on the other hand, were in good form and had moved five points clear at the top of the league after a 2-0 win against Aston Villa. Liverpool, under their new manager Arne Slot, were the only team from the so-called “Big Six” to have maintained a perfect start to the season, while other top clubs were struggling with injuries and inconsistency.
A key factor for Arsenal’s hopes of recovery was the return of two important players, Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard. Rice, despite playing through the pain of a broken toe, and Ødegaard, who had been sidelined due to an ankle injury since August, both featured in the Chelsea match, offering Arsenal a boost as they looked to regain their winning form.
