Jurgen Klopp Arsenal dig after Germany's VAR heartbreak

Jurgen Klopp used Germany's extra-time exit against Paraguay to reopen the argument around Arsenal's set-piece work. Germany were beaten 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in extra time, but the moment Klopp latched on to was the disallowed 116th-minute header from Jonathan Tah.

The disallowed goal that set it off

Tah's header was ruled out after VAR judged Waldemar Anton to have fouled goalkeeper Orlando Gill in the build-up. Klopp did not hide what he thought of the decision, telling football.london: "If the goal is illegal, then Arsenal won't be English champions. They've scored 60% of their goals that way. We win the game when the ball goes in. So, of course, this is brutal."

The line was pointed because it moved the debate away from Germany's own exit and straight on to Arsenal's methods. It was also an easy one for Klopp to make in the moment, with Germany's attacking numbers showing they had enough quality to decide the match before the late controversy.

Kai Havertz had a 7.5 rating and scored Germany's only goal. Florian Wirtz was the standout creator with an 8.3 rating, 4 key passes and 1 assist. Orlando Gill made 6 saves for Paraguay, which helps explain why Germany needed a late breakthrough in the first place.

Arsenal's set-piece record in focus

The Arsenal angle has a real statistical base, even if Klopp's 60% line was his own claim rather than a verified season figure. Arsenal scored 25 Premier League goals from set-pieces excluding penalties in their 2025/26 title-winning season, the most in the division. They also set a new Premier League single-season record with 19 goals from corners.

That is why the swipe landed. Klopp was not arguing about a one-off corner routine in isolation, he was pointing at a team that had already built a title-winning edge from dead-ball situations. Whether that makes the comparison fair is another question, but it is hard to separate his comment from Arsenal's wider reputation in that area.

Germany's defeat, though, still came down to the shootout after the 1-1 draw in extra time, and Tah's disallowed header remains the night's defining incident. The next round of the Arsenal set-piece debate will come whenever their own dead-ball threat is back under the microscope, because Klopp has already reopened it.