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Keith Hackett’s Verdict on Ola Aina Handball
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal dropped a crucial two points in the 2025/26 Premier League title race on Saturday as they were unable to find a breakthrough in their goalless draw against Nottingham Forest. Things could’ve been different, though, if Ola Aina gave away a penalty for his handball offence.
Manchester City, earlier in the day, walked away from Old Trafford empty-handed after losing 2-0 to Michael Carrick-managed Manchester United and the Gunners’ encounter at the City Ground could’ve put them nine points adrift of Pep Guardiola’s men.
A series of chances – their 15 shots compared to Forest’s measly six, mainly – went abegging for the league leaders, though, and they now have just a seven-point between themselves and their closest challengers in City. Up next, they face United at the Emirates Stadium.
Ex-PGMOL Keith Hackett Believes Referee Made Incorrect Aina Handball Decision
Given how previous seasons have concluded, Arsenal may rue this chance to put themselves in a stratosphere of their own at the summit – but many away supporters felt aggrieved when Michael Oliver waved away shouts after it appeared that Aina struck the ball with his arm. Those on VAR duty, namely Darren England, backed the decision of the man in the middle and play resumed.
The Forest defender, who was tussling with Gabriel Jesus – who was at the forefront of the penalty protest – and then teammate Elliot Anderson, appeared to steer the ball with his arm near the byline as he tried to keep the ball in before conceding a corner in the 80th minute.
The footage below shows, however, that neither Aina nor Anderson were able to hook the ball clear with their boot, and it was actually the defender’s arm which kept the ball in play. The Gunners were initially awarded a corner by the on-field referee and even a VAR check was unable to spot the clear offence.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) to explain Oliver’s decision-making, the Premier League wrote: “The referee’s call of no penalty to Arsenal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that the ball was played off Aina’s shoulder first, while his arm was also in a natural position.”
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider after the match, former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett said that Oliver and VAR had come to the incorrect decision by stating: “The player has deliberately moved his hand towards the ball and committed a handling offence.
“Therefore, a penalty kick should have been awarded. You should regard the shoulder as part of the body, just like the foot. This is not a deflection off the body, but a deliberate play. A penalty should have been awarded.”
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Of course, converting a penalty is not a given, but Arsenal – who have finished in second place three seasons on the bounce (2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25) – would’ve relied on that as their chance to draw first blood with just ten minutes of regulation time left on the clock. Oliver, and VAR, denied that opportunity, and it remained goalless for the remaining time.
Instead, it was an evening of frustration for Arteta and his men, whose toothlessness in the final third allowed Sean Dyche‘s Tricky Trees to keep their first clean sheet in seven games across all competitions. A point for Forest means they are now five points adrift of the relegation spots.
Sean Dyche and Mikel Arteta Provide Verdict on Controvesial Penalty Incident
By virtue of the fact that not much happened between the two sides, whether Arsenal should’ve been awarded a penalty (or not) has been widely discussed following the match’s conclusion. Unsurprisingly, Arteta spoke to TNT Sports and believes an obvious error had been made. “The clear penalty that we cannot forget,” he said. “That is a clear penalty in the box that’s not been given. Those are the margins.
“I saw it live, I saw it here. I saw it now again. It’s very unnecessary, but he brings the ball in with his hand.”
“I think if these start to get given, we’ve all got to leave it. I think that’s ridiculous. We’ve got to be careful with those. You might as well cancel football if you’re going to give that!” was the response of Dyche, who is looking to pull clear of the relegation dogfight between now and the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
“The rules have to be careful,” he continued before concluding that players pretending they’re injured is a much bigger worry, “You know what they should be looking at, people feigning injury. That’s the new diving. I wouldn’t worry about the handballs. Cancel football if that handball is given.”
