Kai Havertz offside penalty kick VAR drama explained: Should Arsenal have been awarded a penalty v Hull?

Arsenal's Kai Havertz was clearly pulled back by Hull's Noble Mendy and VAR checked for a penalty kick, but Havertz was deemed to be offside and the referee didn't give a penalty. The decision seemed simple, and correct, but when you look at the ruling it was actually factually wrong and Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty kick. Why Arsenal should have had a penalty kick despite Kai Havertz being offside Havertz was stood in an offside position when the ball came in and Mendy pulled him back. Fair enough. That is clear. But as per the ruling, which is detailed by the BBC below, Havertz being offside before the foul is committed is irrelevant. The offside only counts if Havertz was "attempting to play the ball or challenging the opponent for the ball" but the foul occurred before Havertz made any attempt for the ball. Some would argue that Havertz being in an offside position is impacting the opponent, which is true, but it's not part of the rule. It is going to be very controversial if Arsenal do not win this game against Hull. Kai Havertz should have got a VAR penalty regardless of the offside. #ARSHUL pic.twitter.com/Vzce6KFnVL — Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonBBC) November 7, 2026 Arsenal will be fuming about this decision and will be looking for some kind of explanation from the Premier League. Here is the explanation the Premier League's match center gave for the offside. #ARSHUL – 42’ VAR recommended an on-field review for a potential penalty to Arsenal for a challenge by Mendy on Havertz - but determined that Havertz was in an offside position in the build-up. REF: “After review, there is a holding offence by Blue No.32 on Red No.29. However,… — Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) November 7, 2026