Our very own expert referee once again runs his eye over the weekend's Premier League games and gives his verdict as to how our officials in the middle coped.
Liverpool v Southampton (Simon Hooper)
Around VAR for this game, very little occurred with the Liverpool lot having a half witted call for a pen for Salah’s incident with Bella-Kotchup, but seeing how they’re both grabbing one another and both doing the same, it’s never a penalty, which the ref and VAR got correct. But other than that, nothing to discuss on the officiating side.
But with regards to saints, unfortunately I wasn’t present at the game and was officiating ones of my own, but after seeing the replays, it does look like we performed fairly well in the second half, it’s just yet again couldn’t take our chances, which is exactly why we need new strikers in January…
Still not too bad start for Nathan Jones for an away day at Anfield.
Man City v Brentford (Peter Bankes)
Well there certainly was a fair bit of controversy in last weeks game at the Etihad, and it doesn’t seem like it’s gone down too much this week ether!
As Man City had two early penalty shouts, with one being determined as a free kick, rather than a pen, which was the correct decisions as the handball offence did clearly occur outside the box. And for their second one, KDB clearly dived and rally should’ve been cautioned for simulation for that one (as we saw last weekend that he’s certainly someone who’ll go down easy) as he clearly goes to ground with maybe the slightest of touch on his shoulder from the Brentford player, but not contact at the legs or force behind the contact.
But I think VAR certainly got both of those decisions correct, and other than that there was very little else around this game and major decisions.
Bournemouth v Everton (Craig Pawson)
Nothing really to discuss around this game and VAR. As VAR did have a check on a shout for a Bournemouth penalty, but the Cherries forward just looses his balance when trying to stop and is shoulder to shoulder with the Everton defender, so certainly the right call from VAR there to not award anything.
And I know Lampard had his usual complaints and blames for VAR around that second goal for Bournemouth, as a toffees player went down with a head injury. But at the end of the day the reason play isn’t halted is due to all the simulation that occurs in situations like this, so players and coaches like himself (as I remember how much he dived in the past) result in play only ever getting halted in situations like that when it’s a blatant t injury that can’t be fake (aka there’s blood or something clearly in the wrong place).
But other than that, nothing else to discuss around VAR or such.
Nott'm Forest v Crystal Palace (John Brooks)
This game had a fair few decisions to make in it for VAR today. Although I personally thought they were all the correct decisions. As the Palace player couldn’t be sent off for DOGSO as there was a defender covering him, so only a cautioning for stopping a promising attack could be given.
The pen for Palace was fairly clear as he’s clearly grabbed him, although I’m quite surprised VAR didn’t get him to check the replay for a possible red card offence seeing how the defender had no intention to play the ball, but that’s not to suggest that it would’ve been the correct decision as it’s a fairly opinionated area.
And VAR’s last interference was for overruling the AR’s offside call, and allowing Forrest’s goal which was the correct decision.
Tottenham v Leeds (Michael Salisbury)
This game may of had lots to talk about with the game in general, but less so on the VAR and officiating side of things.
As there were a few shouts to disallow Spurs’s first goal and Leeds’s 3rd, with both having a fair point. As the we all know that keepers get way more protection that the typical outfield player might, but at the same time for Spurs’s first goal the Spurs lad goes into the keeper before making any contact on the ball clearly knocking him over, which at the end of the day is a foul.
For Leeds’s 3rd goal I do think the spurs player was looking for it, but at the same time there does seem to be some contact and for a tackle that Kate a free kick was probably the fairest outcome. So VAR should’ve sent the ref to the monitor for both scenarios for this game, but as many of us know, VAR sure does like to levels itself out fir teams outside a certain group…
Although the Leeds player being sent off for a second yellow was as blatant as you can get, with even the player knowing he was off as soon as he made that tackle.
So a a fair shout from both sides for incidents, but at the end of the day both sides deserved a goal to be ruled out, so at least it was fair on that behalf.
West Ham v Leicester (Jarred Gillett)
A fairly simple game for VAR, with just sending the ref over to the monitor for a Leicester pen, which was quite blatantly a foul for reckless play and the ref rightfully overruled his original decision for and rightfully awarded Leicester a penalty. Still a fairly clean game for VAR.
Newcastle v Chelsea (Robert Jones)
Nothing much to discuss around VAR or the officials for this game, so a good game for the officials.
Wolves v Arsenal (Stuart Attwell)
This game was fairly quiet around VAR, but it did have one major incident early in it, which may of had a major affect on the outcome of the game.
As the junior linesman gave the decision on pitch as an offside (although after seeing the replays it’s fairly clear that it was just a guess from his positioning, although with the speed of the players it’s understandable as to why it’s soo hard to keep up), which is why play was restarted with an indirect free kick. But the ref did also say no to the penalty before giving the free kick.
But as the replays show us, the Wolves forward does look to be onside, so therefore the tackle was part of open play, and after seeing the replay is it quite a blatant foul, which would also be a red card offence as the defender is not going for the ball and committing a DOGSO offence. As VAR should’ve at least sent him to the monitor to watch the replays of the incident. So a mistake there form VAR.
Brighton v Aston Villa (Chris Kavanagh)
This game was a fairly simple and straight forward game for VAR and the officials, although there was 1 incident that VAR did need a check up on.
As the penalty to Villa was as blatant as you can get, so nothing to talk about there, but it’s the penalty shout for Brighton which is up for a bit more of a debate. As the Brighton player does get to the ball before the Villa defender did, which lead to the Villa player kicking into the Brighton one, which is a fair shout for a pen, and in my books should’ve been one for a late careless swing at the ball.
Fulham v Man United (Paul Tierney)
Another game with no real VAR controversy, and nothing to discuss.
Weekly Conclusion
VAR seemed to have a mixed week this weekend. As I personally through that 7 of the the 10 games this weekend VAR and the officials got all the major decisions for, with it having 3 games where the decisions weren’t correct in my opinion (the Spurs, Brighton and Wolves games), with 2 of those having a major impact on the result. So a bit of an iffy week with it certain having the possibility of going worse, but at the same time could’ve gone better, and should it have?
As fans reading this, do you think that getting 7 games outta 10 with all major decisions correct as acceptable or not (leave your responses in the comments), and if not, how many?
Of course though this weeks had the exclusion of Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor (who in my opinion are the best refs in England) as they’re both off to the World Cup as part of the FIFA referees. As it’ll certainly be interesting to see how the officiating is like over there, as it was at the last World Cup that we all got a sense for VAR for the first time ever, with it working fairly well with very little controversy around them. But also as to how those English refs fair at the event, as it was only 3 world cups ago that an English ref called Howard Webb officiated the World Cup final between Spain and Netherlands.