Premier League Referee Quits After VAR Blunder in Arsenal Versus Brentford Clash

• Arsenal and Brentford played out a 1-1 draw last week but the match was overshadowed by VAR controversy
• The draw loosened Arsenal's grip on the top of the table and made their loss to Manchester City have more effect
• The referee in charge of the VAR duty who admitted to 'human error' has now left the league

Arsenal have gone three games without a win since going eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table two weeks ago. The streak has made Manchester City, who beat them at the Emirates Stadium, to the top of the league.

The most unfortunate result was the 1-1 draw against Brentford at home. A match Arsenal rightly felt they should have taken all three points after Ivan Toney's goal was allowed despite Christian Norgaard being offside.

The Premier League officiating board (PGMOL) apologised to the Gunners, blaming the incident on human error by video assistant referee for the game Lee Mason, according to a statement by the board.

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Lee Mason quits Premier League

As confirmed in a statement by PGMOL, the official has now stepped down from further officiating in the league after his error last week.

PGMOL can confirm that Video Assistant Referee Lee Mason has departed the organisation by mutual consent. Lee was a Premier League referee for 15 years and oversaw 287 top-flight matches during that time, with his last coming during the closing stages of the 2021/22 season, the statement reads.

''His full career in the professional game saw the 51-year-old officiate in over 500 fixtures after he progressed to the Football League in 1998. We would like to thank Lee for his dedicated service to the professional game and wish him all the best for the future.''

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As reported by Mirror UK, the referee came under attack from former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who said he lacked the quality to officiate in the Premier League, a statement he recanted after charges.

Arteta wants points back after VAR blunder

Sports Brief earlier reported that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta claims he will be satisfied with PGMOL's apology if only they can give him the two points back.

The news of the referee's departure from the league came after the Arsenal manager made that statement, but it possibly would not change anything as it does not return the points they were denied.

The Gunners will travel to Villa Park in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off against former Arsenal boss Unai Emery.