Penalty claim against Arsenal, Kane goal headline the VAR Review

2 years ago 38

8:00 AM ET

Dale JohnsonGeneral Editor, ESPN FC

Video Assistant Referee causes contention each week successful the Premier League, but however are decisions made, and are they correct?

After each play we instrumentality a look astatine the large incidents, to analyse and explicate the process some successful presumption of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.

- How VAR decisions affected each Prem nine successful 2022-23
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Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Arsenal

Possible penalty: Saliba situation connected Guedes

What happened: In the seventh infinitesimal with the crippled goalless, Wolves broke and Nelson Semedo played the shot done to Goncalo Guedes who went down wrong the country up against Arsenal defender William Saliba. Referee Stuart Attwell indicated nary penalty, past stopped the play for a delayed offside flag.

VAR decision: No penalty.

VAR review: The archetypal of 2 precise akin incidents, with attackers getting to the shot up of a defender, and the defender past kicking the attacker. But this incidental has a fewer further layers to it.

The adjunct delayed his emblem and allowed the attacking signifier to play out, which allows the VAR to reappraisal thing that happened up to the constituent erstwhile the referee stopped play if the offside emblem was incorrect.

First, the VAR (Mike Dean) had a cheque of the offside to spot if determination is simply a anticipation the attacker was onside. At this signifier helium doesn't gully the offside lines, Dean is making a speedy appraisal to spot if determination is simply a request to reappraisal the imaginable penalty. As it looked similar Guedes could beryllium onside, Dean past reviews the challenge.

Much similar earlier this play erstwhile Dean missed a reddish paper for Tottenham's Cristian Romero erstwhile helium pulled the hairsbreadth of Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella, this appeared to beryllium different precise speedy reappraisal to determine determination was nary wide and evident mistake by Attwell.

Guedes intelligibly gets his ft to the shot first, and is past kicked by Saliba. A punishment is by acold the amended outcome, adjacent if immoderate would reason that it's a coming unneurotic betwixt the players some going for the aforesaid ball.

If a punishment had been given, determination wouldn't beryllium a reddish paper for Saliba arsenic helium would beryllium judged to making a genuine challenge.

However, contrary to immoderate reports we don't really cognize if Guedes was onside. Dean would lone use the offside exertion if helium decided determination was a missed penalty. It was exceptionally close, and Guedes whitethorn person been marginally down the ball. But without the exertion of the offside lines we cannot beryllium definite the Wolves guardant wasn't leaning guardant successful beforehand of the ball.

Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Aston Villa

Possible penalty: Digne foul connected March

What happened: In the 70th infinitesimal with Brighton trailing 2-1, Solly March and Lucas Digne went for a escaped shot wrong the area. March conscionable got a interaction connected the ball, with Aston Villa defender Digne successful the process of attempting to wide it. With the shot gone, Digne kicked the Brighton wing-back. Referee Chris Kavanagh said nary to the punishment claims.

VAR decision: No penalty

VAR review: This is precise akin successful quality to Guedes-Saliba. Digne goes to marque a clearance, but March comes successful and gets a interaction connected the shot first. The Aston Villa defender past kicks March aft the shot has gone. Again, this is the VAR, Jarred Gillett, making a judgement connected 2 players coming unneurotic alternatively than determination being a foul -- but it should person been a penalty.

Unlike with the Wolves incident, Gillett did look to springiness it due information and a afloat review. It's casual to spot wherefore Kavanagh whitethorn not justice this arsenic a penalty, due to the fact that the mode the shot moves gives the content the Villa subordinate got to it archetypal (see West Ham vs. Leicester for much connected this.)

This past comes down to the replay angles being utilized by the VAR. The 1 from the referee's viewpoint is little clear, but the VAR has the vantage of the reverse presumption which intelligibly shows it should person been a penalty.

We volition discuss however precedents tin interaction a VAR later, and it whitethorn beryllium a origin here, considering what had happened 24 hours earlier astatine Wolves. Garrett, too, had been criticised for getting progressive erstwhile it wasn't indispensable erstwhile disallowing West Ham's extremity astatine Chelsea earlier this season, and helium hasn't made an involution arsenic the VAR since then.

Finding the constituent astatine which fans and players expect a VAR to get progressive successful a crippled connected specified subjective decisions is precise hard -- particularly if the referee tells the VAR helium saw the interaction by defender connected attacker but didn't consciousness it was capable to warrant a penalty.

As with Guedes, portion there's a lawsuit to instrumentality with the referee's archetypal determination a punishment should person been awarded.

Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 Leeds United

Possible foul: Lenglet connected Meslier earlier Kane scored

What happened: Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane equalised for Spurs successful the 25th minute, but erstwhile the country was delivered Clement Lenglet collided with Illan Meslier, with the Leeds United players furious that a foul was not awarded successful favour of their goalkeeper.

VAR decision: Goal stands.

VAR review: The VAR, Paul Tierney, judged that referee Michael Salisbury hadn't made a wide and evident mistake successful allowing play to continue, and frankincense Kane to score.

That Meslier ended up connected the level wrong the extremity erstwhile Kane scored is successful itself immaterial -- what matters is however the goalkeeper got there.

Meslier got a manus to the ball, but helium was prevented from making a due clearance by Lenglet. This is ever an important consideration, on with whether the collision was incidental oregon a foul. Most fans would expect this to beryllium ruled retired for a foul connected the keeper.

Earlier this season, referees came successful for a immense magnitude of disapproval aft the VAR incorrectly intervened to regularisation retired goals for Newcastle United and West Ham United for fouls connected the goalkeeper. With the Premier League making it wide it did not expect a VAR to beryllium intervening successful specified situations, it has to person an effect connected aboriginal decision-making, upon wherever a VAR judges that subjective enactment for an intervention.

Added to that, the referee successful that Newcastle crippled conscionable happened to beryllium Salisbury. Would a VAR beryllium little apt to counsel Salisbury had made a mistake erstwhile helium had already been shown to person bully judgement of specified situations?

Precedents shouldn't truly beryllium set, due to the fact that each idiosyncratic determination has its ain unsocial circumstances, but it indispensable person an influence, astatine slightest subconciously.

Manchester City 1-2 Brentford

Possible penalty: Handball by Henry

What happened: In the 26th minute, Bernardo Silva tried to play a shot into the country from the byline, and it deed Rico Henry connected the limb earlier going retired of play. Referee Peter Bankes gave a escaped footwear connected the borderline of the area, but determination was a cheque to spot wherever the offence took place.

VAR decision: No penalty.

VAR review: Man City players and supporters appealed for a punishment arsenic soon arsenic the shot deed Henry's arm. Replays instantly showed that it deed the Brentford player's arm, which was raised and created a obstruction to the cross.

For the VAR, David Coote, this is astir having impervious of the handball being wrong the country (the enactment belongs to the box, connected the enactment would beryllium a penalty.) We saw this past play erstwhile Arsenal wanted a punishment for handball against Chelsea's Cucurella, but the VAR could not accidental for definite the handball was connected the line.

Coote didn't person an space straight quadrate to the punishment country line, truthful determination was capable uncertainty that the offence took spot conscionable extracurricular the area. Henry's handball was astir apt connected the line, but the VAR cannot enactment with specified probabilities and needs definitive evidence.

Without shot tracking astir the full pitch, and tennis-style Hawk-Eye enactment calls (which would beryllium a immense technological undertaking), determination volition ever beryllium incidents that a VAR cannot beryllium definite of and indispensable marque an evidence-based judgement.

Possible penalty: Henry foul connected De Bruyne

What happened: From the escaped footwear awarded for Henry's handball, the shot broke to Kevin De Bruyne wrong the country who went down nether a situation from Henry. Referee Bankes again turned down appeals for a penalty.

VAR decision: No penalty

VAR review: City mightiness person been lucky past play to get a reasonably brushed punishment determination fixed connected the tract that the VAR wouldn't overturn, erstwhile De Bruyne was fouled by Fulham's Antonee Robinson, and we saw VAR decision-making successful reverse here.

There was decidedly a tiny magnitude of interaction from Henry and De Bruyne, but it wasn't important capable to warrant a VAR intervention. It's the benignant of brushed VAR punishment determination that the referees' assemblage person been trying to chopped out.

A punishment would astir apt person stood had the referee fixed it, with the on-field determination carrying astir weight.

It was 1 of 3 VAR reviews for a punishment successful speedy succession, with Erling Haaland and Aymeric Laporte appealing for a spot footwear aft holding wrong the area; neither of these would beryllium considered a wide and evident error.

Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

Possible penalty: Bella-Kotchap foul connected Salah

What happened: In the 62nd minute, Armel Bella-Kotchap was robbed of the shot by Mohamed Salah, and erstwhile the 2 players got into the container some went to ground. Referee Simon Hooper waved distant the Egyptian's appeals for a punishment kick.

VAR decision: No penalty.

VAR review: Both Salah and Bella-Kotchap had each other's limb locked, truthful the VAR is not going to get progressive to grant a punishment successful a concern similar this.

Guidance issued astatine the commencement of the play made it wide that if 2 players are progressive successful simultaneous and akin holding actions, play should beryllium allowed to continue.

West Ham United 0-2 Leicester City

VAR overturn: Dawson situation connected Daka

What happened: With Leicester City 1-0 up astatine the London Stadium successful the 38th minute, Patson Daka went down successful the country nether a situation from Craig Dawson. Referee Jarred Gillett thought the West Ham United defender had won the ball.

VAR decision: Penalty, missed by Youri Tielemans.

VAR review: One of lone 2 VAR interventions implicit the weekend, and astir decidedly a close 1 from Chris Kavanagh. Because the shot moved to the right, Gillett believed it had been played by Dawson. But the replays intelligibly showed that Dawson caught Daka's ft and the shot deflected disconnected to the right, giving the content to the referee that the defender had won the ball.

As with the Saliba incident, Dawson (who was booked) wouldn't beryllium shown a reddish paper for denying a wide goal-scoring accidental (DOGSO) due to the fact that helium made an effort to play the shot with his foot. Guidance indicates that lone successful precise utmost circumstances would a subordinate beryllium shown a reddish paper for DOGSO wrong the country erstwhile the situation has been made by the foot.

Newcastle United 1-0 Chelsea

Possible penalty: Handball by Chalobah

What happened: In archetypal fractional added time, Newcastle United's fans and players were incensed erstwhile referee Robert Jones didn't grant a punishment for handball against Trevoh Chalobah.

VAR decision: No penalty.

VAR review: A elemental determination for the VAR, Andy Madley.

There is simply a circumstantial objection wrong the handball instrumentality which states that it's not an offence if the shot hits the limb erstwhile it is being utilized to enactment the assemblage -- adjacent if the limb is distant from the assemblage and making it bigger.

This is the lawsuit whether the limb is touching the ground, oregon being extended to interaction the ground.

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Crystal Palace

VAR overturn: Gibbs-White offside erstwhile scoring

What happened: Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White thought helium had fixed Forest the pb successful the 54th minute, lone for the delayed emblem to spell up for offside.

VAR decision: Goal.

VAR review: A precise choky decision, and 1 which required the "benefit of the doubt" provided by the attacking and antiaircraft offside lines touching for the extremity to count.

When this tolerance level is utilized to regularisation a subordinate is onside, a azygous greenish enactment is drawn to the antiaircraft player.