The decision not to award Liverpool a penalty against Arsenal was the weekend’s main refereeing talking point, after Alexander Isak’s shirt was briefly pulled by Jurriën Timber as the Liverpool forward attempted to reach a cross from Bradley Barcola.
Referee Andy Madley decided against awarding a penalty, and VAR Stuart Attwell supported the call. Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola described the incident as a “clear, clear pull”, a view that appears understandable when the footage is slowed down or frozen. At full speed, however, the contact looked brief and limited, with Timber using one hand and the effect on Isak’s movement open to interpretation.
Premier League officials apply a high threshold when judging contact inside the penalty area. For VAR to overturn an on-field decision, there must be a clear and obvious error, and the incident did not meet that standard. Although Iraola said he would encourage his players to go down in similar situations, the decision was considered correctly by the video officials.
Madley was also praised for his handling of an incident in the 79th minute. After Alexis Mac Allister fouled Martin Ødegaard, Noni Madueke confronted the Liverpool midfielder and their heads made contact. Mac Allister went to ground, but the contact did not amount to violent conduct.
Madley showed Mac Allister a yellow card and did not caution Madueke, who had already been booked. VAR did not recommend a review because there was no evidence of a missed red-card offence. The referee’s decision was therefore considered appropriate.
The weekend was the busiest of the season so far for VAR, with seven overturns across the first nine matches. One of the clearest examples came in Crystal Palace’s game against Tottenham, where Jean-Philippe Mateta’s yellow card was upgraded to a red after a review.
Mateta tackled Micky van de Ven from behind while attempting to recover possession. VAR Jarred Gillett identified that Mateta was away from the ball and had made full contact with Van de Ven’s Achilles with his studs. Referee Michael Oliver reviewed the footage and dismissed the Palace striker for serious foul play.
Other interventions also produced penalties, dismissals and disallowed goals. Aston Villa were awarded a penalty against Fulham after the ball struck Sander Berge’s arm in an unnatural position. Chelsea received a penalty against Manchester United following an aggressive challenge by Lisandro Martínez, who was also shown a second yellow card. Two goals at Stamford Bridge were overturned using semi-automated offside technology.
Coventry were awarded a penalty in their 3-1 win over Sunderland after a VAR review identified a handball by Ethan Pinnock. Leeds also had a goal disallowed at Bournemouth because Dominic Calvert-Lewin had handled the ball before it entered the net, an offence that remains punishable even when the handball is accidental.
Despite the volume of activity, the VAR decisions were handled quickly and smoothly. The debate over the Isak incident is likely to continue, but the weekend also provided several examples of the system intervening when the evidence clearly justified a change.
Sources: The Guardian Sport.