GUNNERS GET REALITY CZECH

Soucek strike sets tone as Hammers stun high-fliers

- Matthew Dunn

EVERY time Arsene Wenger used to claim "I did not see it," it was hailed by the Arsenal faithful as a legitimate excuse.

There was little appetite from the home fans, though, to let off VAR with the same blinkered stance.

Did the ball cross the line or not in the build-up to West Ham's opening goal? One frame produced by the top-of-the-range technology - installed in part to solve precisely this problem - showed the ball was still slightly in play.

But by the next frame, the ball had disappeared. Was it over the line, or just hidden behind Jarrod Bowen's thigh? Stockley Park lacked the evidence to say for sure, so had to go with the on-field decision.

Tomas Soucek's firm finish from point-blank range was allowed to stand.

So many questions, but in truth the VAR situation is the least of them for Arsenal.