According to a report by London Evening Standard on Saturday November 7, 2026, the decision-making of the video assistant referees in Arsenal's Premier League match against Hull City over a penalty was highly contentious.

Although Hull's Nobel Mendy was flagged for dragging Kai Havertz's shirt, the rules indicate that the Gunners should have been given a penalty kick.

This happened at the Emirates Stadium in the first half, when Arsenal were the better team. While defending the German forward, Havertz went down in the penalty area when Mendy grabbed his shirt.

After the incident was reviewed by VAR for several minutes, play resumed. In the end, the referee Farai Hallam was told to go check it out on the pitchside monitor.

The officials found that Mendy had fouled Havertz during the review because he had pulled Havertz's shirt. But they opted not to give Arsenal's forward a penalty since he was offside throughout the buildup.

Arsenal fans thought their team had won a penalty when Hallam first announced the foul, so they celebrated. Their joy, however, was short-lived as their frustration grew as the referee instead gave Hull a free-kick.

After the game, the Premier League clarified that video assistant referees suggested a play-by-play review to see if there was a penalty, but that Havertz was indeed offside.

Football reporter Dale Johnson of BBC Sport was critical of the intervention and the decision. He elaborated on the requirement that a player actually commit an offside offense before a minor infraction can be considered offside.

Before trying to play the ball or challenge an opponent, Johnson claimed that Havertz was fouled. This means that the offside position was not as important as Mendy's shirt pull.

He went on to say that there was a comparable incident when Fabian Schar, a defender for Newcastle, was just slightly offside against Bournemouth but still given a penalty.

An earlier foul must be penalized when it occurs before an offside offense, according to the IFAB Laws of the Game, which supports this interpretation. Thus, Arsenal may have had a right to claim a penalty in their match against Hull.