Arsenal should have been awarded a first-half penalty in Saturday's 1-0 win over Hull City, according to a former Premier League referees' chief and a former assistant referee, after the officials decided that Kai Havertz's offside position in the build-up meant no spot-kick could be given.

Martin Odegaard's 72nd-minute strike settled the match at the Emirates Stadium, a fifth consecutive league win and a ninth victory in 10 matches for Mikel Arteta's side, Football.London reports. The Evening Standard says the result, combined with Manchester City's defeat by Nottingham Forest, leaves Arsenal six points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The first-half flashpoint

The incident came before the interval, when Havertz went down inside the area under a challenge from Hull defender Nobel Mendy. Accounts of the sequence differ: Football.London reported that referee Farai Hallam pointed to the spot, prompting celebrations around the stadium, before VAR intervened, while the Evening Standard said Havertz's appeals were initially ignored and play continued until the review was called.

Either way, VAR spent several minutes on the incident before sending Hallam to the pitchside monitor. Football.According to London, he was informed that Mendy had tugged at Havertz's shirt, but since the Arsenal forward was judged to have been offside, the penalty was reversed and Hull were given a free-kick instead. That same publication says Arteta appeared clearly enraged on the touchline when his team went into half-time without having broken the deadlock.

Daily Cannon reports that VAR Michael Oliver asked Hallam to take another look, and that the referee accepted a foul had been committed but judged the offside to take precedence.

Arteta asks for the interpretation to be explained

Arteta said afterwards that he had not rewatched the incident. "I didn't watch it back so I don't have to lie to you guys," he said in his post-match press conference. He expressed surprise, saying: "I was surprised, because when they sent the referee to the monitor the bench was telling me that it's a clear penalty, it's pulling."

He went on: "I know they decided not to because the starting position of Kai was offside, so I don't know what the interpretation is." He added: "I'm sure they will make that clear to understand it."

The Evening Standard says Arteta has now been given a clearer understanding of the offside law, and notes that one interpretation is that Havertz was not guilty of an offside offence because he was neither trying to play the ball nor competing with an opponent for it.

Former officials disagree with the call

Keith Hackett, the former Premier League referees' chief, wrote on X: "The Offside Law is clear and a penalty kick should have been awarded."

Darren Cann, a former Premier League assistant referee, gave his view on Match of the Day, as reported by BBC Sport. "The foul should have taken precedence and it should have been a penalty kick rather than an offside," he said, explaining that Havertz and Mendy were not challenging for the ball and that no offside offence occurs until a player engages with play.

Daily Cannon cites the lawbook wording that a foul on a player in an offside position is penalised when it happens before that player plays or attempts to play the ball, or challenges an opponent for it, and quotes BBC reporter Dale Johnson making the same argument.

The result stands

The controversy did not cost Arsenal the points. Odegaard ended Hull's resistance in the 72nd minute, and the Evening Standard reports that City's defeat at Nottingham Forest gives the Gunners a six-point lead at the top.

Arteta's side are next in action on Saturday 21 November, when they travel to St James' Park to face Newcastle United in the Premier League, with kick-off at 17:30 UK time.

Photo: Photo2023 via Wikimedia Commons, CC0, resized.