Martin Keown slams Peter Schmeichel’s ‘ridiculous’ take on West Ham disallowed goal against Arsenal | Football

Martin Keown has reignited his simmering feud with Peter Schmeichel, hitting out at the Manchester United legend’s ‘ridiculous’ take on West Ham’s disallowed goal against Arsenal.

Schmeichel has been an outspoken critic of Arsenal’s playing style under Mikel Arteta, branding the Gunners’ tactical approach ‘ugly’ and ‘annoying’ after the side’s defeat to Liverpool in September – a scathing attack which Keown labelled ‘deranged’.

After three successive runners-up finishes, though, Arsenal appear on course to end their 22-year drought in the Premier League this season, with just two games remaining against Burnley and Crystal Palace.

The north Londoners’ title charge had looked at risk of derailing following a 2-1 loss at Manchester City last month, but victory in Sunday’s pulsating derby with relegation-threatened West Ham restored the leaders’ five-advantage at the top.

However, the major talking point of the contest came at the death as Callum Wilson struck through a crowd of bodies to seemingly rescue the Hammers a point following Leandro Trossard’s earlier effort.

But after a lengthy VAR check, which dragged on for the best part of five minutes, the goal was disallowed for a foul in the build-up, with Pablo adjudged to have impeded David Raya with an arm across his chest.

Arteta was quick to praise the ‘brave’ officiating on show and Sky Sports’ punditry panel of Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Jamie Redknapp followed suit, agreeing that referee Chris Kavanagh and his team eventually arrived at the correct decision.

Schmeichel, meanwhile, took an altogether different view in his post-match analysis on Viaplay, insisting the decision to disallow Wilson’s strike was ‘so wrong on so many levels’.

‘What really makes me angry is that Arsenal would never be top of the league if that’s a free-kick,’ the former United and Denmark goalkeeper said.

‘That’s how they’ve scored so many goals, by blocking people, holding people, doing all kinds of things.

‘And then we get to this point, it takes VAR five minutes, Darren England the VAR, it takes five minutes.

‘He starts it over again and starts it over again and again… that in itself puts so much doubt into that decision that it cannot be a free-kick.

‘I think it’s so wrong. I just don’t understand why all of a sudden that’s a free-kick, because it’s not been for any teams all the way throughout the season.

‘All this, it’s just crazy. And that decision today, it’s just so wrong on so many levels.’

But giving his thoughts on talkSPORT this morning, ex-Arsenal defender Keown suggested Schmeichel’s comments may have been influenced by the Dane’s ties to both Manchester City and Manchester United.

‘He’s holding his arm! I’d like to think I’m a fair man, this is a just decision,’ Keown explained.

‘What’s remarkable is that it’s a goalkeeper affected by this… if it had happened to him [Schmeichel] then he’d have been screaming from the rooftops that that’s a foul.

‘If he [Schmeichel] is still playing and he gets fouled to that degree… come on, it’s ridiculous.’

On Schmeichel, Keown went on: ‘He’s angry because it’s Arsenal. Did he not play for Manchester City? Did he not play for Manchester United? The current rivals and the former rivals of Arsenal.

‘There was no disguise to the West Ham situation. There was three fouls on him.

‘We’ve seen that all season, it’s been like a wrestling match. Until yesterday, they’ve stopped putting the ball in the box, Arsenal, because they’ve been wrestled to the ground so they’re now going with the short corner which shows creativity, imagination.’

While Keown is adamant the right call was made on Sunday, he believes ‘something radical’ may have to be done to combat the amount of wrestling and holding at set-pieces in the Premier League.

He added: ‘What probably needs to happen next season is if your opponent is marking you in the box, holding onto you, not even looking at the ball, and the ball is delivered, I think maybe we’re looking at an immediate red card.

‘Do something radical to change that.

‘I believe 100 per cent that the referee got it right, there’s three fouls on the goalkeeper.

‘The worrying thing for me is that it takes so long and it has to be three fouls.

‘You’ve got to be able to see these things quicker. They’re seeing these stills… come on, in the moment!

‘If you’re on the pitch, you have to see the pass and you make the pass.’

Asked if he felt the title race was now over, Keown replied: ‘We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we? We will have to wait and see. There are still two games to go.

‘Do the job, do not be distracted by all the noise. You’re busy at the wheel, don’t look behind you, keep going for it.’

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