Arsenal handed Viktor Gyokeres VAR verdict after penalty decision vs Chelsea

The Arsenal striker thought that he should have been awarded a penalty in the closing stages of the first half vs Chelsea.

Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville has said that it was the right decision not to award Arsenal a first-half penalty in the first half of the match against Chelsea.

Arsenal went into the game looking to again increase their lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table. A 1-0 win over Leeds on Saturday saw City close the gap to just three points.

Things were going to plan for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, with William Saliba giving them the lead from a corner in the 21st minute.

Viktor Gyokeres had a chance to try and grab a second goal for Arsenal with time until half time running out, when he latched onto a long ball. He came up against Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, who initially won the ball, but a second channel saw Gyokeres fall to the ground in the penalty area.

The referee waved away appeals, with the challenge checked and cleared by VAR.

Giving his assessment on commentary, Neville said: “It looked a little to obvious, it was an awkward fall from Gyokeres.

"I don't think there's anything in it, it's a good challenge initially from Chalobah. Yeah, he dives."

To rub salt in the wounds, Arsenal were pegged back by Chelsea just a few minutes later. The Blues had wanted a penalty themselves, with the ball hitting Declan Rice on the elbow before going out for a corner, with VAR determining that the midfielder was under 'clear physical contact'.

However, from the resulting corner, the ball went in off Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie to make the scoreline 1-1 in the second minute of added time before the half time whistle.

MORE TO FOLLOW.We'll bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.For the latest news and breaking news, visit football.london. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you for the capital's clubs.Shining a light on the issues fans really want to know about and providing rolling coverage of the latest news, football.london's writers give you the bigger picture on your club by knowing the little details inside-out.Follow us on X @‌Football_LDN - for the all latet news as it happens in real time.Sign up for one of Football London's free daily and weekly newsletters on your club by clicking here.