Schmeichel Disagrees: West Ham Robbed of Goal in Arsenal Draw as Gunners Stay Top

Manchester United legend goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel disagreed with the decision to disallow West Ham's goal in their 0-1 home defeat to Arsenal, characterizing it as another controversial call favoring the Gunners throughout the season.

Arsenal moved closer to the Premier League title after defeating West Ham in the London derby 1-0, with Leandro Trossard scoring the winner in the 83rd minute. The victory gave Arsenal 79 points from 36 matches, extending their lead to five points ahead of second-place Manchester City, though City has a game in hand.

The controversy erupted in the 90+5th minute when West Ham earned a corner. Jarrod Bowen's delivery found Callum Wilson in the box, who fired the ball past the goal line. However, VAR official Darren England reviewed the play and determined that Pablo had used his arm to obstruct David Raya's attempt to jump for the ball in the six-yard box, ruling it a foul and disallowing the goal.

After the match, Schmeichel expressed his frustration: "What really annoys me is that Arsenal would never be top if that ball was a foul. They score so many goals from blocking opponents, pulling opponents down, doing everything."

"And then when it gets to this point, VAR takes five minutes. Darren England, the VAR referee, takes five minutes and keeps starting over. That's what makes you question the decision—it doesn't feel like a foul."

Schmeichel continued his criticism: "I think it's very wrong. I don't understand why suddenly it becomes a free kick, because throughout the entire season no team has been given free kicks like this. It's absolutely crazy, and today's decision was wrong on multiple levels."

However, other pundits including Roy Keane, Jamie Redknapp, and Ian Wright agreed the decision was correct.