Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has said that he would have given a penalty to Liverpool for an incident involving Joel Matip and Jamaal Lascelles in the game on Saturday.
Liverpool won the game 3-1 but feel they should have had a penalty as Matip appeared to be wrestled to the ground by Lascelles. He had an arm around the Liverpool defender’s neck from a corner but referee Andre Marriner waved play on.
Talking on Ref Watch (Sky Sports, Monday, 11.30am), Gallagher said he thought it was a penalty.
“He had an arm round the neck and pulled Matip to the ground,” Gallagher said.
“He [Marriner] obviously didn’t think there was enough contact. I thought it was a penalty, others didn’t.
“You see the referee wave it away so he’s seen it. The difference here is that a subjective decision going to VAR has to meet the threshold and this obviously didn’t.”
Tif Verdict – Threshold wrong
There were always going to be teething problems with VAR but one big issue seems to be decisions not getting overturned by officials at Stockley Park.
Referee’s chief Mike Riley told Premier League clubs that four incorrect decisions had failed to be overturned already this season [BBC], but many others have fallen under the threshold needed to overturn subjective decisions.
This has been set at being a clear and obvious error from the referee.
Looking at the replay from the Liverpool v Newcastle game, it’s hard to see how this wasn’t given as a clear penalty. The responsibility lies with the referee – Andre Marriner – however, with VAR officials tied to how they’ve been told to implement the new technology.
It seems that a tweak would be a good idea, giving referees more time to make a decision with a screen on the side of the pitch.
VAR is supposed to correct injustices on the pitch and it’s fair to say that grabbing someone round the neck and wrestling them to the ground from a corner, isn’t in the rules of the game.
Thankfully, the decision didn’t make an impact on the game this time.
Terrace talk – fans think it was a penalty
The controversial incident led to a lot of reactions on Twitter after the game and the vast majority of fans thought a penalty should have been awarded.
Many fans asked what the point of VAR is if it can’t overturn a decision like this. They’ve got a point.
Why did VAR not give a penalty for the foul on Matip? Arms all round his neck & brings him down like a WWE move.
— Red (@TaintlessRed) September 14, 2019
What is the point of VAR ??? Never a pen for Utd, foul on Matip not even looked at ?????
— Jateen Bhana (@JateenBhana) September 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/Ferg1892/status/1172849082181701632
https://twitter.com/MrNickMason/status/1173220499511545856
By the way that foul on Matip yesterday. What’s the point in this VAR if you aren’t going to use it. Something about an element of doubt, but he’s got his arm round his neck? ?????
Anyway suppose it didn’t matter, but I’m not a fan— ?CH?? (@cjhayden82) September 15, 2019