Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker say whether Arsenal’s Lewis-Skelly fouled Harrison for Everton penalty.

Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker weigh in on whether Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly committed a foul on Jack Harrison, leading to Everton’s penalty.

Arsenal faced yet another contentious refereeing decision during their 1-1 draw against Everton at Goodison Park.

The Gunners took the lead with a stunning goal from Leandro Trossard in the first half, and despite Mikel Arteta’s tactical adjustments, they maintained control over the match.

To preserve their advantage, Arteta brought on Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli at halftime, aiming to keep Arsenal’s momentum going.

However, shortly after the second half commenced, referee Darren England awarded a penalty to Everton for Lewis-Skelly’s contact with Harrison in the penalty area.

The VAR reviewed the situation, first assessing whether a foul occurred and then confirming it was within the box, ultimately upholding England’s decision.

Myles Lewis-Skelly found himself on the receiving end of another questionable refereeing call. Following this, Danny Murphy, Alan Shearer, and Gary Lineker discussed the incident on Match of the Day, arriving at a shared conclusion.

All three analysts agreed that Lewis-Skelly did not foul Harrison, expressing that both Arsenal and the young player were quite unfortunate in this instance.

Murphy stated, “I personally support Arteta’s decision; it was a strange situation for me because my Liverpool bias makes me hope for a penalty.

However, I genuinely believe it was a poor call – it’s not a penalty in my view. If anything, both players were tugging at each other a bit… it feels rather soft.”

Shearer responded, “I find it very, very soft – not enough for a penalty in my opinion.

They won’t overturn it; there is some contact, and when he falls, he does clip his leg, but I think that’s extremely harsh.”

Lineker added, “This illustrates why VAR cannot function effectively in its current form, as it requires a clear determination of whether the contact constitutes a foul.”

Mikel Arteta shares his thoughts on Everton’s penalty decision.

Murphy noted that Arteta himself was baffled by the ruling. In an interview with Match of the Day, Arteta mentioned that he had reviewed the incident 15 times and still believed it was “never a penalty.”

Arteta expressed his frustration, stating, “I am 100% frustrated. We were in complete control of the match and were looking to maintain our dominance in the second half, but out of nowhere, the referee awarded a penalty.”

He reiterated, “I have watched it 15 times – in my view, it is never a penalty.”

On a positive note, Arsenal supporters were pleased with Jakub Kiwior’s performance, who filled in for the injured Gabriel Magalhaes, now sidelined for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury.