Arsenal should have been awarded a late penalty against Aston Villa, while Ian Maatsen should have received a second yellow card, the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has ruled.
The incident happened in the 98th minute of Arsenal’s 1–0 victory at Villa Park on August 31. Bruno Guimarães entered the penalty area before Maatsen challenged him, but referee Jarred Gillett waved play on.
VAR official James Bell also did not recommend an on-field review.
After reviewing the incident, the five-member KMI Panel unanimously ruled that Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty. The panel voted 5–0 that the on-field decision was incorrect and that VAR should have intervened because it was a clear and obvious error.
The panel also judged Maatsen’s challenge to be reckless and said he should have received a second yellow card, which would have resulted in his dismissal.
“Clear contact was made on the attacker's standing leg and Maatsen made no contact with the ball,” the panel said.
The decision adds another layer to the late drama of Arsenal’s narrow victory, although the Gunners still left Villa Park with all three points.
