Why VAR didn't penalise Arsenal players for block in North London Derby against Tottenham

Arsenal took a huge step towards becoming champions of England on Sunday with a 3-2 win over north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The Gunners rushed into a 3-0 lead in the first 45 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own goal was followed by Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz adding to the scoring.

Second-half strikes by Cristian Romero and Son Heung-Min made it a nervy finish for Arsenal but Mikel Arteta's side saw out their win to remain at the top of the Premier League table.

"I was praying. There were so many Spurs players in the box," Arteta said after the win. "It was a really emotional game.

"A very tough place to come, an incredible atmosphere and a great team to play against. 3-0 up you're in control of the game, you come in the second half and we’re dominating the game and creating chances, then an individual error happens that clicks something. It puts a wrong message in your brain.

"Then we started to deal with the situation better, but they got another one and then it’s game on. Then they have the players and the courage to put a lot of players forward. We had to dig in and suffer and react. I'm very pleased with the way the team has done it."

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The outcome of the clash could have been very different when Micky van de Ven had levelled to make it 1-1 in the first- half. The centre-back thought he had given Spurs the perfect response to going behind when he followed up Pedro Porro's shot.

However, a lengthy VAR check took place after the defender beat David Raya. It was later determined that the Netherlands international was offside, despite it appearing that Gabriel Magalhaes, who was slightly hunched over, may have been keeping him onside.

Replays showed that Porro's shot had deflected off Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel before the defender scored. It has left many wondering why the goal was disallowed if he last touched an opposition player, but there is a simple explanation.

A block isn't an intentional/deliberate play of the ball. When it then strikes off Gabriel, the Brazilian's touch wasn't an intentional play of the ball and therefore is not considered by the VAR when making the decision.