Brighton & Hove Albion FC should have been awarded a penalty in their 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal FC on 4 March, the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has confirmed.
The Seagulls were already trailing to Bukayo Saka’s ninth-minute strike when they pressed forward in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. After a cross from the left, Brighton midfielder Mats Wieffer ran into the box but was hauled to the ground by Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli.
Referee Chris Kavanagh allowed play to continue, and video assistant referee Michael Salisbury did not intervene. Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler protested to the fourth official, David Webb, and exchanged words with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on the touchline.
According to BBC Sport, the Premier League Match Centre posted on X that VAR “deemed there was no clear and obvious error.” However, the KMI Panel disagreed: they voted 4-1 that a penalty should have been awarded and 3-2 that it was a missed VAR intervention. The ruling noted:
“Martinelli is not looking at the ball, holds Wieffer into the area, and prevents the Brighton player from challenging for the ball.”
This marks the second time this season that Arsenal have avoided a VAR-awarded penalty in a 1-0 away win. In December, Everton FC were denied a penalty after William Saliba’s challenge on Thierno Barry, also reviewed by Michael Salisbury.
So far this season, 18 VAR errors have been recorded—matching the total from the entire 2024–25 campaign.
In the same gameweek, Leeds United FC were denied a penalty in their 1-0 home defeat to Sunderland AFC for Luke O’Nien’s holding offence on Pascal Struijk. Meanwhile, Arsenal remain without any VAR errors going against them this season.