🚨🎙️Ian Wright on how Chelsea got robbed in the Fa Cup Final, multiple penalty appeals turned down by referee Darren England and breaks down the rules behind every controversial incident:
“I don’t care what badge is on the shirt, if that’s at the other end and it’s against Manchester City, people are screaming corruption for a week. Chelsea got robbed today. Absolutely robbed.
The first one on Joao Pedro before halftime? That is not a ‘coming together’. Khusanov doesn’t even attempt to play the ball, he just body-checks him straight through the back. Under the laws, if you impede or charge a player carelessly inside the box without playing the ball, it’s a penalty. Simple. VAR hiding behind ‘subjective contact’ is nonsense.
Then the second-half madness… two penalty appeals in about 10 seconds and somehow none reviewed properly? Doku clips Caicedo while he’s driving into the area, there’s contact, no touch on the ball, and Chelsea players are begging for consistency because we’ve seen softer ones given all season.
And the handball? Don’t even get me started. Enzo Fernández whips the ball in and it strikes O’Reilly’s arm/elbow. People keep saying ‘his arm was tucked in’ but the law also talks about making the body unnaturally bigger and blocking the trajectory of the ball. We’ve literally seen those given in the Premier League this season. So what’s the standard anymore? Every week fans are told something different.
And then AGAIN on Joao Pedro around the 66th minute, Khusanov makes contact from behind as Gusto’s cross comes in and Pedro goes down. Once more, no urgency from VAR. No referee sent to the monitor. Nothing.
That’s three huge moments in one cup final. Three. Chelsea players were looking around like they already knew nobody was helping them today.
If Arsenal or Liverpool got treated like that in a final, football wouldn’t hear the end of it for months. But because it’s City on the other side, everyone suddenly wants to act ‘calm’ and ‘neutral’.
Chelsea didn’t just lose a final… they got officiated out of one.”
🚨🎙️Thierry Henry on Chelsea’s denied penalty appeals in the FA Cup Final, SLAMS VAR: 💣🤯
“If those same decisions happen against Manchester City at the other end, people are calling it corruption for a week straight. Chelsea got robbed today.
The first one on João Pedro before halftime was a clear penalty for me. Khusanov doesn’t even try to play the ball, he just goes through the back of him. Then in the second half, Doku clips Caicedo driving into the box and somehow VAR still stays quiet.
And the handball? We’ve seen those given all season. Enzo’s cross strikes O’Reilly’s arm and suddenly everyone wants to pretend the rules are different in a cup final.
That’s three huge moments in one match and Chelsea got nothing from any of them. No proper VAR intervention, no consistency, no urgency from the officials.
If Arsenal or Liverpool were treated like that in a final, football wouldn’t stop talking about it for months. Chelsea didn’t just lose the FA Cup today, they were officiated out of it.”
🚨🚨🗣️ | Chelsea Legend Didier Drogba BLASTS Arsenal critics and questions VAR Decision on potential penalty against Manchester city vs Crystal Palace: 💣🤯
“I have watched the footage from the Manchester City vs Crystal Palace game again and again, especially that handball incident, and honestly, I am shocked. How is that not a penalty? The contact with the hand looks clear to me. So my question is simple: why was there no proper VAR review, and why is everybody suddenly silent about it?
Because let me tell you something, I am not the biggest Arsenal advocate but if that was Arsenal, the whole football world would be on fire right now. Every fan page, every football account, every ex-player and every rival fanbase would be screaming corruption and calling Arsenal cheats.
After the Arsenal vs West Ham game, social media was complete chaos. I could not scroll for two seconds on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram or Facebook without seeing people attacking Arsenal over the Raya incident. Everybody was on Arsenal’s neck. The outrage was everywhere.
But now? Silence.
I am scrolling through social media after this Manchester City game and I genuinely cannot find the same energy. Not one massive outrage. Not one endless debate. Not one campaign from rival fans demanding answers. Why?
Honestly, I am starting to understand why Arsenal fans keep saying they are refereed differently. Because the criticism is never balanced. Arsenal are judged with a completely different level of anger and scrutiny compared to other clubs.
I watched that replay over and over again, and for me, Crystal Palace should have had a penalty. Simple. And if an Arsenal player made that exact same handball, we would still be hearing about it for the next two weeks.
Football always talks about consistency, but consistency disappears depending on which badge is involved. The double standards have to stop.”
If you didn’t say anything about this yesterday but crying because of a referee rightly cancelled a goal due to a clear foul, then you are just a big hypocrite!
🚨🎙️| Wayne Rooney: 🗣️
"That is a 100% foul on David Raya in any league in the world, I honestly don't understand why people are angry with the ref decision.
The West Ham defender was obviously holding Raya's neck and invariably holding him down while he was trying to catch the ball and in my opinion I think Raya is up there as a contender for the player of the year, he has been phenomenal all season"
🚨🗣️ | Wayne Rooney on Backing Arsenal to WIN the UEFA Champions League:
“Look, you have to be honest about where both clubs are right now. PSG have the individual brilliance, they always do, and they can hurt you in a split second, but I’ve watched Arsenal closely over the last couple of seasons and there is a steel there that wasn't present for a long time. Mikel Arteta has built a proper team a unit where every single player knows their job inside out.
When you get to the latter stages of the Champions League, it isn't just about who has the flashiest players; it’s about who can suffer together and stay disciplined under pressure. I think back to the great sides I played in at United we had the talent, but we won because we were hard to beat. Arsenal have developed that same defensive resilience. They don't panic. They control games in a way that makes even the biggest teams look ordinary.
PSG are always going to be a threat because of the sheer quality they can buy, but there are still those moments where they look like eleven individuals rather than a cohesive group. In a final or a big knockout tie, that's where they crumble. Arsenal, for me, have that collective hunger. They’ve been knocking on the door, they’ve felt the disappointment of coming close in the league, and I think they are ready to take that next step on the European stage. If they play the way they are capable of, I don't see PSG stopping them. I’m backing Arsenal to go all the way and finally lift that trophy”
🚨🎙️ | Mourinho on the UEFA Champions League Final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain:
🗣️ “People have doubted Arsenal a lot this season. People have said they’re not ready, they don’t have enough experience, they can’t handle the big moments… but I completely disagree.
I genuinely believe they have a real chance against PSG.
Yes, PSG have unbelievable individual quality, world-class players who can change a game in seconds, but football is not always about individuals. Sometimes it’s about structure, discipline, belief, and the manager on the touchline.
And I know who Mikel Arteta is. I know how strong he is as a coach. Tactically, mentally, emotionally, he gives Arsenal an edge.
People are calling Arsenal underdogs, and maybe they are on paper, but finals are not won on paper. They’re won by the team that handles the pressure better.
I’m rooting for Arsenal because I believe they can hurt PSG. I believe they can frustrate them, outwork them, and if they stay focused, they can absolutely win this final.
This is the moment Arsenal fans have been waiting for. One game away from history.
And if Arteta pulls this off… then everybody will finally have to give this team the respect they deserve.”
🚨🎙️Ian Wright on the challenges Arsenal have faced keeping up with Man City in the title race.
🗣️ “It's the way their team is being constructed, Arsenal can't construct their team like how City have; paying what they paid to get these players and be able to get those players wherever and however they're getting money from.
It's the way they are able to get quality players for a lot of money and they might not even get on the pitch.
What I'm trying to say is Arsenal are chasing a team that have got carte blanche to do whatever they want and there's 115 charges that's still not resolved.
They have been able to buy players to play entertaining football, while Arsenal have had to construct a team to try to beat them the only way they can which is not by playing great football because this is the hands they're dealt with.”
🚨| “ARSENAL CELEBRATE = MEDIA MELTDOWN… PSG CELEBRATE = ‘MENTALITY MONSTERS’.
The double standards around Arsenal need to be studied. 👀
When Paris Saint-Germain draw 1-1 away from home in Europe:
▫️ “Tactical masterclass”
▫️ “Professional performance”
▫️ “Elite game management”
When Arsenal FC control games, defend well, and grind out results:
▫️ “Boring”
▫️ “Overcelebrating”
▫️ “Too emotional”
Meanwhile pundits like Jamie Carragher, Gabby Agbonlahor and John Obi Mikel are quick to criticise Arsenal players for passion and celebrations… but other elite clubs doing the exact same thing suddenly becomes “mentality” and “winning culture”.
PSG celebrated wildly after their result yesterday.
• No outrage.
• No endless debates.
• No “stay humble” lectures.
But when Arsenal celebrate a huge European night?
The media acts like football crimes were committed.
Maybe people just aren’t used to Arsenal being THIS good again.
Because the moment Arsenal became genuine contenders:
▫️ every celebration became a problem
▫️ every draw became a “bottle”
▫️ every setback became a crisis
Yet other clubs get protected by narratives.
Football media loves confidence… until Arsenal show it.
🚨🎙️| Didier Drogba:
“When you look at the reaction to this scoreline tonight (Bayern vs PSG) 1-1 and compare it to the reaction the 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid received (first leg) received, I think the media are a bit harsh on Arsenal. You have to look at the context of the game and the opponent; the criticism isn't always balanced”
🚨🗣️ | Wayne Rooney on the Media Hypocrisy Regarding Arsenal:
“I’ve been seeing the reaction to the Bayern and PSG game, and honestly, it’s a joke. Everyone was hyping this up as the 'ultimate' game of the week, the most entertaining game of the round. It ends 1-1 and I’m seeing nothing. Where’s that same energy people have for Arsenal?
When Arsenal grind out a 1-0 win or a 1-1 draw the media calls it 'boring' or 'negative football.' But look at Bayern tonight I didn’t see a team that wanted to win. I saw a Bayern side that looked like they expected PSG to just sit back and defend, but got disappointed. They played with zero energy, their body language was completely lackluster, and they looked lost. If Mikel Arteta’s side put in a performance like that, every pundit in the country would be slating them for the next week.
People need to start being honest. You look at Arsenal versus Atlético yesterday that was a proper Champions League semi-final. It had everything: intensity, quality, drama. It was the most entertaining match of the week by a mile.
But because it's Arsenal, the goalposts always move. Now that the media’s favorites, PSG and Bayern, have put on a 1-1 aggregate snoozefest, is anyone calling it 'haram football'? Of course not. We all know the answer to that.
It’s pure hypocrisy. Deep down, everyone knows this Arsenal team is one of the best in Europe right now. The only reason people pretend to hate the way they play is because their own teams aren't half as good as them. It’s time we start judging football on fairness and logic, not just because it’s popular to have a go at Arsenal”