Premier League release statement on Bukayo Saka incident in West Ham vs Arsenal

The Premier League has backed the decision to award Arsenal a penalty in their match against West Ham. Bukayo Saka was fouled by Lucas Paqueta, leading referee Anthony Taylor to point to the spot.

The call was reviewed by VAR official Michael Salisbury and upheld, with Saka then passing the ball to captain Martin Odegaard to take the penalty. Despite little protest from West Ham, Manchester United legend Gary Neville stated he had ‘no sympathy’ for Paqueta.

In a statement, the Premier League confirmed: “The referee’s call of penalty for a foul by Paqueta on Saka was checked and confirmed by VAR, deeming that the contact was sufficient for a penalty.”

Liverpool legend Jamie Redknapp criticised Paqueta’s decision to tackle, telling Sky Sports: “This is Saka at his best. You have to leave it, you cannot dangle a lazy leg out like Paqueta does.”

Odegaard’s successful penalty was Arsenal’s third goal in a wild first half that ended 5-2 in favour of the visitors. Gabriel opened the scoring for Arsenal with a header from Saka’s corner, followed by Leandro Trossard doubling the lead from close range.

After Odegaard’s penalty, Kai Havertz quickly added a fourth.

However, West Ham eventually responded with a goal from Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who poked the ball into the net, and then Emerson scored a stunning free-kick to narrow the gap.

In the dying minutes of the first half, Arsenal were awarded another penalty after Lukas Fabianski punched Gabriel in the head during a corner.

On this occasion, Saka successfully converted the spot-kick, capping off a frenetic opening 45 minutes. The Premier League released a statement regarding the incident, stating: “The referee’s call of penalty for a reckless challenge by Fabianski on Gabriel was checked and confirmed by VAR.”

This match has equalled the Premier League record for most goals scored in the first half, with seven, a feat previously achieved in matches between Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United in September 1997, Bradford City and Derby County in April 2000, and Reading and Manchester United in December 2012.