Premier League panel rules referee and VAR erred over Maatsen challenge against Arsenal
The Key Match Incidents Panel concluded Ian Maatsen should have conceded a penalty and received a second yellow card during the 1-0 defeat at the Emirates.
The Premier League's Key Match Incidents Panel has unanimously determined that both the referee and VAR were wrong not to award Arsenal a penalty for a challenge by Ian Maatsen during their 1-0 victory over Aston Villa. Birmingham Live reported on 9 September that the review centred on an incident deep into stoppage time, when Maatsen brought down Bruno Guimaraes inside the area in the 98th minute.
Referee Jarred Gillett waved away appeals at the time and the video assistant referee chose not to intervene. According to the Mirror's account of the panel's findings, the five-member group concluded there was clear contact on the attacker's standing leg while Maatsen made no attempt to play the ball.
The panel described the challenge as reckless, stating that a spot-kick should have been given on the pitch. They added that the failure to award the penalty constituted a clear and obvious error, meaning VAR ought to have stepped in. Because the foul was judged reckless, the panel also felt Maatsen should have received a second yellow card.
Ultimately the decision had no bearing on the result. Bukayo Saka's strike had already settled the contest in the hosts' favour, denying Villa any points from the trip to north London. Guimaraes, identified as a Brazilian summer acquisition for Arsenal, saw his late appeals dismissed without consequence.
The Key Match Incidents Panel operates independently, comprising three former players or coaches alongside representatives from the Premier League and the Professional Game Match Officials Limited. It reviews contentious moments from every top-flight fixture to provide an impartial assessment of how officials handled them.
