Dermot Gallagher explained why VAR didn’t ask for a second look at the Arsenal penalty v Liverpool. It proved to be the winning goal.
Arsenal beat Liverpool 3-2 at the Emirates on Sunday. It took a dubious penalty, however, as Thiago was judged to have fouled Gabriel Jesus.
It was a ‘soft’ one, in the words of Ian Wright. Thiago barely touched the Brazilian, clipping his ankle as both tried to meet the ball in the air. The Liverpool player was a split-second late but the contact was minimal.
Referee Michael Oliver never had a second look at the decision, though. VAR opted not to send him to the monitor, meaning the original call was always going to stand. It was a choice that confused many and former referee Dermot Gallagher attempted to explain why after the game.
“What would happen when Michael has made a decision is VAR and the referee will speak quickly,” he told Premier League Productions.
“And Michael will have said to him ‘I’m convinced he hasn’t got the ball, he’s caught him across the bottom of the ankle’. In his opinion, that’s a penalty.
“As you can see, he doesn’t get the ball and he has caught him on the ankle. So there’s nothing to send him across to.”
VAR on the Arsenal penalty v Liverpool
You can understand where Gallagher is coming from. Oliver says it how he saw it, VAR confirms that’s what happened, thus why do they send him to the monitor? There would have to have been something he missed.
The problem was that Oliver appeared to believe there was far more contact than there actually was. Gallagher even admitted as much when asked if he’d have given the penalty.
“It’s difficult being a referee,” was all he added after a brief silence.
A tough one to take, then. This shouldn’t have been a penalty and there really needs to be a precedent to send the referee to the monitor in situations like this.
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