Pundit rubbishes Arsenal claim as controversial Martin Odegaard footage analysed
Noel Whelan has insisted referee Paul Tierney was right to disallow Gabriel Martinelli’s opener for Arsenal against Man United.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted Martin Odegaard’s challenge was a clear foul as he made no contact with the ball.
Arsenal saw Martinelli’s opener chalked off in the first half of their 3-1 loss against Man United on Sunday (4 September) – with Odegaard adjudged to have fouled Christian Eriksen in the build-up.
Referee Tierney originally allowed the goal to stand but VAR official Lee Mason recommended a review of the incident on the pitchside monitor.
As quoted by Sky Sports post-match, both the Norway international and Gunners boss Mikel Arteta branded the decision “soft”.
Arsenal remain top of the league despite the loss, while Man United move onto 12 points and into fifth place.
The decision comes as the Premier League demand a review of the Video Assistant Referee system by the PGMOL after controversy involving Newcastle and West Ham.
Whelan told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury: “He said it’s soft, and it was.
“But when you look back, he didn’t get any of the ball.
“Eriksen may have gone down easily, but Odegaard went in for a challenge and didn’t get any of the ball.
“He made contact with the player. I can understand Arsenal wanting it to be a physical game, but if you get a touch on the ball – it makes the decision a lot easier.
“He went through the player to get to the ball, and it would be the same outcome if it were inside the 18-yard box.
“It’s a foul, and the referee quite rightly disallowed the goal.”
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