Arsenal VAR controversy forces Liverpool fans to revisit incident that cost Reds title

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The debate rages after the VAR controversy in Arsenal's win over West Ham, with Liverpool fans casting their minds back to a similar incident which ended up costing the Reds the titleArsenal eventually got its wish as VAR disallowed West Ham's late goal(Image: Getty Images)Liverpool fans have waded in on the controversy surrounding Arsenal’s win at West Ham on Sunday as Mikel Arteta’s side took a huge step toward the Premier League title.Leandro Trossard’s goal earned the Gunners a victory that leaves them on course to beat Manchester City to the league crown, but the debate rages over VAR’s intervention during stoppage time as West Ham was denied an equalizer.Callum Wilson’s goal was chalked off after a long delay, with referee Chris Kavanagh sent to the screen as Pablo was adjudged to have fouled David Raya from a corner as the Hammers forward’s arm impeded the Arsenal goalkeeper.READ MORE: Liverpool Transfer News and Rumors Today LIVE: Juventus advances on AlissonREAD MORE: Aston Villa slip-up changes Liverpool top-five picture as team drops out of raceThe decision looks as though it could have a major impact at both ends of the table, with Arsenal now sitting five points clear of Manchester City, who have a game in hand, while West Ham missed out on the chance to move above Tottenham, with those two sides now left battling it out to avoid relegation.Fans across the Premier League though have been arguing about the call from VAR amid the feeling that Arsenal has benefited from similar situations itself this season.Liverpool supporters have now pointed to an incident of their own from nearly five years ago which ultimately cost their side the league title.Back in November 2021, the Reds fell to a 3-2 defeat ironically at West Ham, although there was controversy over the hosts’ opening goal in the first four minutes of the game.West Ham's goal against Liverpool stood in 2021 despite Alisson seemingly being impeded(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)VAR chose not to intervene on that occasion despite replays showing that Angelo Ogbonna had collided with Alisson Becker from Pablo Fornals’ corner, with the Liverpool goalkeeper’s attempt to punch the ball away resulting in the ball landing in his own goal.Reds boss Jurgen Klopp was left fuming at the time, saying after the game: “It was a clear foul on Alisson. When you see the dynamic of the whole situation, how close they [Ogbonna and Alisson] are to each other, how can that not be a foul?

The decision is really strange.”And Alisson himself vented his frustrations, posting on social media: “When you can use your hands, the job it’s not so hard.”Get LFC's 2025/26 season home and away kitsThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn moreFrom $100LFC.comSee the dealLiverpool's home and away strips for the 2025/26 season are the first in their new partnership with adidas.Fans can order jerseys in the US at Fanatics.com or via the LFC Online Store in both the US and across the world.The decision would go on to have a huge impact on the Reds’ season, with Liverpool missing out on the league title to City by just one point.Liverpool fans on Reddit have been revisiting the incident following the Arsenal controversy, and are disgruntled with Arsenal seemingly getting the rub of the green.“Exactly the same goal flashed before my eyes,” said one fan.

“And we lost this game 2-3 and lost the league by a point.”Another added: “Different teams, different rules.”Pablo was adjudged to have fouled David Raya, with VAR intervening to disallow the goal(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)Meanwhile, another supporter said: “It was a foul on Raya but Arsenal have had the rub of the green all season long. Only team in the league not to concede a penalty when everyone else has conceded at least 2, and one of only three teams not to have a red card.“There's also about 4 separate fouls in that disallowed goal so I don't know which one you're meant to decide is the key one.”City will get the chance to narrow the gap to Arsenal back to two points when it faces Crystal Palace on Wednesday, although Pep Guardiola’s side still needs to rely on the Gunners slipping up in at least one of their last two games against Burnley and Palace.