The reason referee Chris Kavanagh refused to award a penalty for KIWIOR Clear HANDBALL explained

Arsenal had an early scare on their trip to Newcastle United on Sunday when referee Chris Kavanagh awarded the hosts a penalty for handball.
The Gunners traveled to Tyneside in a bid to reduce the gap to Manchester City to just one point at the top of the Premier League. Pep Guardiola’s men extended their lead to four points with a 2-1 win over Leeds United on Saturday and have one game left.

Mikel Arteta’s side arrived in Newcastle with the heartbreak of last season’s St James’ Park in the back of their minds, almost falling behind early on when Jakub Kiwior was awarded a penalty for handball. A well-executed Newcastle corner saw Bruno Guimaraes’ shot in the penalty area hit Kiwior’s arm. However, after a lengthy VAR check, the decision was reversed after replays showed the ball hit Kiwior’s thigh before hitting his arm.

During Sky Sports’ coverage of the match, former Premier League defender Gary Neville explained why the decision was made. “Kiwior looks embarrassed…he tries to pull his arm away, but it’s pace of the ball and distance…he’s coping, he needs the referee to look at him again. “The Newcastle players are doing fine by the referee but they didn’t see him hit the leg first. The referee and Stockley Park officials understood that very well.”

According to the FA rules, handball is when a player “deliberately touches the ball with the hand/arm, for example by moving the hand/arm towards the ball” or “touches the ball with the hand/arm while holding the body unnaturally larger.

A player is deemed to have unnaturally spread his body when his hand/arm position is not due to or justified by the player’s body movement for that particular situation. By keeping the hand/arm in this position, the player risks being hit by the ball with the hand/arm and being penalised.

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Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal’s ‘big win’ in Newcastle to keep title race alive

The Gunners won 2-0 at St James’ Park to go within a point of leaders Manchester City

Mikel Arteta was delighted with Arsenal’s win at Newcastle United and praised his players for their ‘struggle’ and ‘desire’.

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Newcastle United on Sunday was a “big statement” of the club’s progress, 12 months after a major setback defeat at St James’ Park for their Champions League ambitions.
A first-half goal from captain Martin Odegaard – the Norwegian’s 15th in the Premier League – and a 71st-minute Fabian Schar own goal gave Arsenal an impressive victory over third-placed Newcastle to complete their title challenge in track.

The result is a huge improvement on a year ago, when Arsenal, then fifth in the table, lost 2-0 to Newcastle. It proved fatal to their first four hopes as Tottenham pushed their rivals to a Champions League place. “It meant a lot. It was a real test, they hurt our pride last year and in sport, if you get another chance you need to make sure you learn from it” said Arsenal manager Arteta.

“We had to remember how we felt a year ago when we were here. Today was supposed to be different. We had to play the match with a different level of commitment, intelligence and maturity, and today we showed a real fight and will to win. “They’re creating something big here, that atmosphere was great. They have a great team, a great organization, great individuals and we won here. I think it’s also a great statement about how far we’ve come.

Already secured Champions League football next season, Arsenal navigated a potentially difficult week with wins over Chelsea and Newcastle keeping City under pressure. With three games remaining – home games against Brighton and Wolves either side of an away match against Nottingham Forest – Arteta has urged his players to carry on and embrace the final stages of the season.

Newcastle – Arsenal Match Review

 NEWCASTLE REVIEWS: Nick Pope 9: Unseen by defenders before Arsenal opener. Two excellent leg saves by Martinelli and Odegaard also deflected the Norwegian’s corner shot and blocked Saka’s shot in a tense first half. He could do nothing as Schar turned the cross into his net. 

“It was crucial because it’s the most important part of the season, the best part of the season,” he said. “Today we are runners-up, but to play in the championship with three games to play against this team and win, it doesn’t get any better than that. “If you want to play high-level sport, you have to accept these moments. There’s nothing like giving up. I saw a lot of people turn around after the game against City. I hate that, I won’t accept that from anyone, from the team, from any employee.
“You have to keep going because you never know. We have to keep digging – we’ve been doing it for 10 months, now is the time to make it even harder than before.

Despite the defeat, Newcastle remain well placed to join Arsenal in the Champions League next season. Third-placed Eddie Howe’s side are three points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool with a game less.

“Good margins for us today and we started the wrong way,” said Newcastle manager Howe. “If Jacob’s chance comes it’s a different game. We have four games left and we need three results.”