Howard Webb has backed Jared Gillett and the VAR officials for their decision to overturn a penalty following Nick Pope's challenge on Viktor Gyokeres during Arsenal's 2-1 win away at Newcastle on Sunday. The PGMOL boss made the comments on Sky Sports' Match Officials Mic'd Up, telling Michael Owen that Pope's touch on the ball made it a "clean challenge" making the original call a "clear error".

Overturned penalty sparks controversy

The contentious incident came after the Gunners were awarded a 14th-minute spot kick at St. James' Park. Gyokeres latched on to an errant back pass by Jacob Murphy, and looked to touch the ball past the onrushing Englishman in the home side's net. The striker's touch then struck Pope's foot, before the pair came together, prompting Gillett to point to the spot. 

Gillett was summoned to review the footage by the VAR, sparking a lengthy delay where the Australian and his colleagues studied the incident. In his on-pitch announcement, Gillett said: "After review, the Newcastle goalkeeper plays the ball and there is no foul. The final decision is drop ball." 

AdvertisementPGMOL boss Webb backs his officials over their decisions

Webb took to the Sky Sports studios to review the incident further alongside Owen. The former England striker quizzed Webb if the decision met the threshold for an overturned decision. 

Owen said: "It looked like the referee took a little bit of convincing, he had a good look at the monitor, which is absolutely fine. But are you happy that it was such a wrong decision that it needed reversing, because some people still think that even though there was a touch, it was still a penalty. Are you happy that it was clear and obvious enough to reverse the decision?" 

Webb replied: "I am. You know we work with referee's call, it's an important principle in the Premier League, where the call will be made on the field by the referee, it only gets overturned if when the referee looks at the footage he sees no reason at all to support the decision. There's no mix of considerations, it's a clear error. 

"In this one when you see Pope reach out with that foot, play the ball cleanly before making any contact with the opponent, in fact he doesn't make any real contact with the opponent they come together as a normal consequence of that clean challenge by Pope,  the referee hadn't recognised that touch. That was important, the VAR saw it. It was a clear error. I agree with the VAR's intervention. So the referee can go to the screen look at the full sequence, see that touch, see there's a normal playing action by Pope, and the penalty was rightly cancelled."

Was the VAR right to overturn Arsenal's penalty against Newcastle?

Debate over the decision has largely boiled down to whether Pope's touch was sufficient  in negating Gyokeres' attempt to retrieve possession after prodding the ball past the onrushing keeper.  As Webb explained, Pope's genuine attempt to play the ball, and his slight touch on it, saw the referee overturn the decision. 

Crucially, Pope's actions did not meet the threshold for a foul as defined by Law 12.1 of the International Football Association Board's laws of the game. That states that a direct free-kick or penalty will be awarded if a player acts in careless or reckless manner, or is deemed to be using excessive force. That includes if a player charges, jumps at, kicks or attempts to kick, pushes, strikes or attempts to strike, tackles, or attempts to trip the opposition. As Pope's action was not deemed to be careless — defined as when a player shows a lack of attention or consideration — his touch on the ball was sufficient for the decision to be overturned.

However, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey dissented with that interpretation of the law, claiming the spot kick should have stood. 

Getty Images SportOverturned penalty splits opinions of the pundits

Speaking on the broadcast, Gary Neville admitted it was a difficult decision. He said: "Viktor Gyokeres kicks it against Nick Pope's feet. Pope has still blocked Viktor Gyokeres.

"Gyokeres touches the ball and then there is a touch and then he takes him down after that.

"I'm definitely torn. Nick Pope does get a touch and that is usually the barometer for referees and goalkeepers and penalties."

His colleague Jamie Redknapp said: "He [Pope] gets a touch but I'm not sure it's enough to negate the foul. I'm amazed it got overturned.

"Even though he got a touch, he still fouls the player. Gyokores anticipates it, gets away from it and he clears him out."

Les Ferdinand disagreed, however. He commented:  "It's a great touch. When I first saw it, I shouted, 'I think Pope gets a touch'. He goes through; he does get a touch. As a centre-forward, I probably do want the penalty.

"Once the goalkeeper gets a touch and he deviates the ball, it's not a penalty. I don't know what Pope can do there."