The Gunners deservedly went ahead thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's opener but they would go on to rue missed chances afterwards. Jamie Vardy popped out in the dying moments to level the scores and prevent Mikel Arteta's side from leapfrogging Wolves into sixth.
Arsenal will head to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday [July 12] to get back on track and give themselves a chance of reaching Europe's premier competition.
VAR inconsistencies arise again
Eddie Nketiah's sending off was the correct call. Although he clearly had eyes for the ball, one look on the replay was all that was needed to determine that he was going to be shown a red card.
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The offside decisions on Jamie Vardy's equaliser and Alexandre Lacazette were also right. Vardy was onside and Lacazette was off, even if it was by fractions either way round
Where the inconsistency comes into play, however, was not the decisions made with the assistance of VAR, but what was chosen to be reviewed. Seeing Nketiah's collision with Justin James unfold in real time at Emirates Stadium, the impact was obvious instantly, all the replays were needed for was confirmation.
Although the effects of the collision weren't as brutal on first look, VAR had to be used to assess Vardy's stray boot flying into Shkodran Mustafi's face. Similar to Nketiah's challenge, on first viewing of a replay [in real time], it becomes crystal clear how dangerous this was - even more so when looking at the damage caused by the striker.
Shkodran Mustafi's face after Jamie Vardy's boot collided with his face.
Despite the speed at which Vardy's boot flew to Mustafi's face, there is no way it can be said he meant to injure the German the way he did. That exact statement, however, can be said in regard to Nketiah's challenge bringing more weight to Arteta's argument about how the situations were dealt with differently.
"What I am saying is if you review incidents of that type, you have to review them all. It has to be equal for everyone because it changes the game," he said in his post-match press conference. "If Eddie's is a red card for sure, so is the other."
Once the decision was made, however, it must be said that Arsenal, Arteta included, had to respond more smartly. Sinking back into their own box wasn't the answer and neither was sacrificing Dani Ceballos. The Spaniard was key to keeping Arsenal ahead, plugging holes inside both full-backs extremely well and that security in those areas left with him when he was substituted.
Arteta acknowledged this was the fourth time since he took over in December that Arsenal have had a man sent off so forming a game plan specifically for these occasions may go some way to helping the side improve. Both times Arsenal received a red card when ahead [Crystal Palace away and Leicester at home] they have ended up drawing.
This isn't even the first time post-lockdown that VAR's inconsistencies in relation to Arsenal have been addressed, as they were drawn the short straw against Brighton with Neal Maupay's clash with Bernd Leno.
Source:London.com