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VAR Controversy: Ref's Call or Replay's Rule?
9 Feb
Summary
- VAR confirmed a yellow card for Marc Guéhi's challenge on Salah.
- A penalty was correctly awarded to Man City after Alisson fouled Nunes.
- VAR disallowed Man City goal, red carded Szoboszlai for DOGSO.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) continues to spark debate in the Premier League, with a recent high-stakes match between Manchester City and Liverpool providing significant talking points. A crucial incident occurred in the 68th minute when Liverpool's Mohamed Salah was fouled by Manchester City's Marc Guéhi as he advanced towards goal. Referee Craig Pawson issued a yellow card for the challenge, and VAR John Brooks confirmed the decision, ruling it was not a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity due to a covering defender.
Later in the match, a penalty was awarded to Manchester City after Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker's challenge on Matheus Nunes. VAR confirmed the on-field decision, deeming Alisson to have made no contact with the ball. The most contentious moment came in stoppage time when VAR intervened to disallow a Manchester City goal and issue a red card to Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai.
This decision involved a two-part review. Initially, VAR identified a foul by Manchester City's Erling Haaland on Szoboszlai. Subsequently, the referee was advised to review Szoboszlai's earlier holding offense against Haaland, which denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The referee correctly disallowed the goal and sent off Szoboszlai, a decision that, while legally sound according to the Laws of the Game, proved controversial.
