You should watch this, think deeply about what is being said, and try to FEEL, too.

For what it's worth, I think there may be a misunderstanding with most everyone's view of the VAR protocol. Once they determine there has been a "clear and obvious error" the incident is reviewed anew. There is no deference given to the initial decision.

On the Gabriel "handball" - I've watched it several times. I cannot tell you the sequence of touches. Was it Gabriel-Elanga-Gabriel? Elanga-Gabriel? Just Elanga? Given that you cannot pin down the sequence of touches to the ball, it seems correct to say there was no clear and obvious error.

I will say that if Jarred Gillett hasn't seen that Nick Pope got that faint touch on the ball, it likely is appropriate for VAR to have him review the incident. At that point, my understanding is that the incident is reviewed de novo and not with the clear and obvious error standard in mind.

One of the major issues I see with VAR discussions and after-the-fact analysis is they go straight to “was it actually a foul / handball / red card” and completely ignore the important gatekeeping function that the “clear and obvious error” standard is meant to create to avoid re-refereeing.

There is no need to get to the minutia of Nick Pope’s challenge on Viktor Gyokeres. We lose the forest for the trees when we do. It was given on the field. Everybody looking at the challenge should be able to reasonably say “yeah, that’s probably a foul” and that’s the end of the inquiry!

Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl halftime show is going to be fantastic both because he’s going to absolutely crush it and because it’s going to piss off the worst people in the world.

While I may detest their football club, this is top behavior from the people of Newcastle. Fuck fascists forever.

Hector Bellerin wearing the armband with Isco out injured. Has he had it all season? I’m so happy that man is thriving at his hometown, family club. He’s a good egg and deserves the best.

The worse you play, the less willing your team is to ignore whatever you do that could be deemed a distraction. If you’re really good, they’ll ignore stuff. When you stop being good…

To the weird crossover following of people I know who are Arsenal and Mets fans (weird because I know several who follow me on here), at least Gabriel won it late today?

okay but that weirdness with calafiori, the referee, and the towel was one of the strangest things i’ve ever seen on a football pitch

Look at William Saliba’s celebration. Runs past that extra ball, U-turn to go get it, then yeets it into the stratosphere. 10/10

Jailbreak Brewing has start making one of my favorite beers again - Welcome to Scoville jalepeno IPA - and it is making me happy.

Good. We don’t deserve nice things right now. Not until people get their shit together here.

What on earth could that lot possibly be crying about? Had a stonewall penalty against them taken away by VAR and they still lost. 6 points from 6 games, 15th place lookin’ ass.

Oh man, I just got annoyed all over again at the third goal Newcastle conceded to Liverpool. What were they thinking being that open at 2-2, late, down a man, and having come back from a losing position? Especially when they tried to park the bus at 1-0 up with 11 against Arsenal today!

All those people who say they voted for our current disaster because of economic anxiety are pretty fucking silent right now.

It’s been so long since Gabriel Jesus was a regular contributor at Arsenal because of all his knee injuries, but we shouldn’t forget he’s a 148 G+A in 280 combined PL and CL matches player. He’s really, really good!

Jurrien Timber had another really good game today. Riccardo Calafiori was kinda quiet but didn’t cost anything and has been really good this season so far. Arsenal have Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly (and Piero Hincapie) to rotate at fullback, too. Fantastic depth and quality.

The Ravens have had to play the Bills, Lions, and Chiefs in three of their opening four games of the season. That’s rough.

Arsenal have scored the same number of goals as Liverpool this season in the Premier League. They've given up four fewer, too.

I would like to point out (once again) that last season, William Saliba got a faint touch on the ball before clashing heads with Joao Pedro. It was given as a penatly on the pitch and VAR upheld. I'd woud like to know what Laws of the Game reasons distinguish that from Pope on Gyokeres today.

Bryson DeChambles.

the way i'm not hearing those idiots in the stands singing "same old arsenal, always cheating" after arsenal handed them an L >>>> stay salty, sportwashing trash

Was that a second ball on the pitch? Don't they usually stop play for that? Newcastle allowed to continue an attack right past it.

shut the fuck up, graeme le saux

Do y'all think it's fair to say that Arsenal-Newcastle matches, particularly ones played at St. James' Park, are more physical and feature more permissive refereeing than Premier League matches typically do?

And also this about permissive physical play in Arsenal-Newcastle:

To my point about Arsenal-Newcastle being more permissively physical that other Premier League matches:

Arsenal XI to face Newcastle: Raya, Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres Saliba and Ødegaard on the bench.

Do y'all think it's fair to say that Arsenal-Newcastle matches, particularly ones played at St. James' Park, are more physical and feature more permissive refereeing than Premier League matches typically do?

Currently stuck on the couch because the dog and the GF have fallen back asleep next to me and I don’t want to disturb them. Toughest battles, strongest soldiers, etc.

I’ve just seen Manchester United fans complaining that they aren’t refereed the same way as other clubs after yesterday’s admittedly bad call against them in the Brentford match. But MANCHESTER UNITED supporters thinking they’re the ones always hard done by referees is doing my head in.

Man, it does not feel like Hurricane Helene was just over a year ago. It feels like it has been forever. Hope all the lovely people of NC are recovering from that terrible day alright.

It’s just who Ange is, mate.

they aren’t as good as their results suggest. they weren’t last year either, but the bad luck around them masked that.

narrator: they weren’t justice. play poorly. get nothing.

LiVARpool going to be bailed out here, aren’t they? They don’t deserve anything from this match, either.

Every time Liverpool players lose the ball they’re asking for fouls. Ridiculous and embarrassing.

by this logic, saliba’s red card last season shouldn’t have been one because nobody was in control of that ball. which makes it somehow even worse that var got involved to overturn to on-field decision and upgrade it

playing like wolves, too

Brentford’s innovative tactics really catching Manchester United out. You simply cannot expect professional footballers to be able to defend…long balls.

Manchester United have spent far too much money to have a team full of mid players.

Wolves lookin’ ass kits from Manchester United today

Are we sure Graham Potter is a good manager?

I feel like I should remember more about the Battle of Blair Mountain. Seems pretty relevant nowadays.

Kneecap’s lead said “terrorism is a word used by the government to discredit people they oppress” and my goodness does that go hard.

Rob Holding posted a video from a country concert at Red Rocks last night. That man is living his best life in Colorado - playing soccer, living closer to his GF (in LA), and enjoying the CO outdoors and country music I love that for him.

I'll take this a step further: The former-players-turned-pundits who were spouting this nonsense only revealed their own fickle natures. It's what THEY would have done, so surely everybody must think the same way.