Why Arsenal’s Gabriel had second header against Crystal Palace ruled as an own goal

TNT Sports presenter Jules Breach had the unenviable job of informing Gabriel Magalhaes he had not scored the first brace of his senior career against Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime.

“Ah, pfff,” Arsenal’s centre-back sighed.

Gabriel towered above Chris Richards to unmistakably thump the Gunners into an 11th-minute lead, wheeling away to gleefully celebrate yet another set-piece goal for the hosts.

Shortly before the interval, Gabriel caused more havoc from another corner, wriggling away from Richards again to bundle the ball over the line. Fantasy Premier League fans across the country and beyond began to count up the haul that a pair of goals from a centre-back would bring before the site’s official social media account delivered the bad news.

Upon review, Gabriel’s second header would go down as an own goal by Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Nevertheless, Arsenal were still 2-0 up at the interval. Leandro Trossard snuffed out any flicker of a Palace fightback in the second half before Gabriel Martinelli came off the bench to strike twice in stoppage time, ensuring that at least one Brazilian Gabriel went home with a brace.

Here’s why Arsenal’s centre-back was denied a double of his own.

The initial reaction from almost everyone at the Emirates Stadium was that Gabriel had steered Bukayo Saka’s vicious in-swinging corner towards goal before it cannoned off Henderson’s head.

Palace’s keeper was on his way to the turf after tangling with Ben White but VAR deemed that not enough contact had been made to find a foul and thereby overrule the on-field decision of goal given.

In February 2023, VAR spotted White holding the arm of Leicester City goalkeeper Danny Ward before Trossard thumped the ball into the back of the net. On that day, the strike was rightly disallowed and White seems to have learned from his errors, making sure to simply stand in front of Henderson rather than instigate any contact.

A side-on replay of Gabriel’s header against Palace on Saturday shows the ball may well have bounced across the six-yard box had Henderson not inadvertently intervened.

Arsenal’s in-stadium announcer credited Gabriel with the goal, as did the Premier League’s official social media account before closer inspection.

The Premier League’s Goal Accreditation Panel ultimately decide the identity of any contentious goalscorer. According to the competition’s website, the panel is made up of a representative of the PGMOL – the body in charge of England’s referees – and two “football experts”.

There is no explicit distinction between a deflection and an own goal but a spokesperson for the Premier League offered some loose guidelines back in 2006. “As a rule, if the initial attempt is goalbound it is credited to the player making the goal attempt,” they told The Guardian. “However if the deflection means that a wayward effort results in a goal then it is attributed to the player who had the last definitive touch of the ball.”

Clubs can appeal the panel’s decision but the video footage would undermine any Arsenal argument for Gabriel.

Before all of the camera angles were released, a fog of confusion hung over social media users.

Once it became clear that Gabriel would only be credited with an assist (three points) rather than another goal (six points), most onlookers were gravely concerned by the negative impact on their FPL teams.