Premier League VAR controversies rated: Pickford, Maguire, Dier

VAR and disagreement go hand in hand in the Premier League. Jordan Pikford’s fight with Virgil Van Dyke? Harry Maguire moved to Cesar Azpilikueta? Eric Dier’s handball match against Newcastle United?

It’s hard to play a game without provoking some kind of anger, but how bad are these decisions? Is the VAR really making a catastrophic mistake? Or are those decisions really the right ones?

During the 2020-21 Premier League season, we will collect the most important VAR incidents and evaluate each of these incidents in terms of conflict – and VAR.

– How the VAR decisions have influenced the different clubs
– How the VAR has changed for 2020-21
– The VAR in the Top Guide of the Premier League

Xaka offside against Lester

Arsenal 0-1 Lester City (25 October)

What’s going on? Arsenal thought they had the advantage in the fourth minute when Alexander Lacazette came home, but the soldier raised the flag for offside against Granite Xaki. He was in an offside position, practically on the goal line, and turned away from the path of the ball to leave it in play.

Fault! The file name is not specified. Granite Xaka, who was in an offside position, dodged the ball when Alexander Lacazeta, who was in the lead, sent it into the net. Stuart McFarlane/FK Arsenal on Getty Images.

What about the review? The VAR, Paul Tierney, checked that the offside position was correct and decided that there was no obvious and obvious error because Xhaka’s position affected Casper’s ability to save and Justin’s ability to clean him up.

Conflicting assessment 7/10 – This view was certainly shared by the former referees, as Ksaka did not correspond to Schmeichel’s view. But some felt that Ksaki’s position was so close to the goal, and that leaving the field to place the ball in the net could only affect the opponents who could play.

VAR 5/10 Classification – The clear and obvious demand for a coup d’état has always meant that a recovery of the target is unlikely, but as there was clear doubt about Ksak’s influence on the outcome, a field study could have clarified the differences. Would you have banished his VAR if you hadn’t ruled out Linear? Probably not.

Sheffield United penalty against Liverpool

Liverpool 2-1 Sheffield United (24 October)

What’s going on? Liverpool’s Fabinho tried to beat Oliver McBurney on the edge of his own penalty area, but he took over a Sheffield United player. Referee Mike Riley gives a free kick on the edge of the penalty area.

Fault! The file name is not specified. Fabinho catches Oliver Burke when his striker kicks him over the penalty line. First class

What about the review? VAR, Andre Marriner, checked the position of the offense and found part of McBurney’s leg on the penalty line. The line belongs to a cell, which means it’s a criminal investigation. Although Fabinho got the ball, he also took McBurnie with him, so it couldn’t have been a clear error on the part of the referee, which explains the penalty awarded to him. If the VAR had decided that the challenge was in the zone, but that it was not a foul, the game would have resumed with the ball thrown to Alisson.

The controversial 7/10 – This provoked a protest from Liverpool fans, who didn’t see it as a Fabinho offence and even claimed there was no contact in the area. As long as Liverpool continued to win the game despite Sander-Berg’s penalty, the controversy wasn’t so intense.

VAR note 8/10 – It’s difficult to judge, because despite the fact that the law has made the right decision, this is the incident where the fans have stomach complaints. Would Dean make a decision if he thought it would lead to a fine? It seems that the error in the box has a higher threshold for the officials than for the outsiders.

– Follow the incident on Liverpool’s YouTube channel.

Maguire v. Azpilikueta

Man United 0-0 Chelsea (24 October)

What’s going on? Chelsea played the ball in the first half, Harry Maguire and Cesar Azpilicueta fought for the ball and the defender of Manchester United came up with a clear result. However, the reruns showed that Maguire flew over Azpilikueta with both hands above his shoulders to be first on the ball. A holding attack is defined as a situation in which a player’s contact with the opponent’s body or equipment prevents his movement.

Fault! The file name is not specified. Harry Maguire seems to have Caesar Azpilicueta in his headdress at Old Trafford. Oli Scarff – Pool/Getty Images.

What about the review? The game took place in the background and the VAR, Stuart Attwell, soon decided that the challenge was not enough to justify a penalty to Chelsea.

The controversial 9/10 scoring line was a decisive decision that could have earned Chelsea three points at Old Trafford. Attwell was too quick to move on and let the game continue when he finally stopped.

VAR 2/10 – Referee Martin Atkinson may have been short-sighted, but Attwell must have noticed a seriously missed incident. Worse, just six days earlier, Attwell, in his capacity as judge, had given a very light sentence to Tariq Lamptey of Brighton, who was detained by Michy Batshuayi of Crystal Palace.

– Follow the incident on Chelsea’s YouTube channel.

Pikford admits a foul to Van Dyke

Liverpool 2-2 Everton (17 October)

What’s going on? Virgil van Dijk was played all the way to the end of the goal and when he got the ball, Everton-keeper Jordan Pikford came at him with a wild goal. Despite this, the offside flag had already been hoisted against Van Dijk, but Pickford could still be sent away in a serious and brutal match, defined as a challenge that threatens the safety of the opponent or uses excessive force.

Fault! The file name is not specified. Virgil Van Dyke was shot at Getty Images by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pikford Andrew Powell/Liverpool.

What about the review? VAR spokesman David Kooth checked the offside area for possible penalties. It shows he’s admitted the possibility of Picford’s annoyance. However, as soon as offside support was provided, Coot did not start to think of a possible red card, which was missed by referee Michael Oliver, and the game continued with a free kick to Everton.

Controversial 10/10 – Pikford had to be challenged and with Liverpool’s 1-0 victory in the Merseyside derby five minutes of time, they will feel that they would have gone further to win the match comfortably. It should be added that Van Dijk was moved from the site of the ACL injury, which could have meant the end of the season.

VAR Rating 3/10 – Okay, so the VAR has tested the offside correctly. But Coat’s inability to recognize the red card – he also missed a blank red card like the VAR because he had called Giovanni Lo Selso at Cesar Azpilicueta in February – was a big mistake and affected the outcome of the game. Coat has not been appointed VAR or referee for next weekend’s matches.

Moons offside against Everton

What’s going on? Liverpool thought they had beaten Jordan Henderson in the 92nd minute, but VAR forbade offside goals against Sadio Mane, who scored the goal.

Fault! The file name is not specified. Sadio Mane is eliminated because Liverpool thought he had a winner in the derby. First class

What about the review? The change in handball law now means that the shoulder and arm are considered offside, and this is what put Manet (and Van Dyke in the previous incident) offside. Manet could play under last year’s offside interpretation.

Conflicting note 8/10 – For the first time we saw an offside of a new shoulder/handled point, so many fans couldn’t understand how a goal could be banned. The angles and offside lines were not clear on the VAR-diagram, which caused extra confusion.

Fault! The file name is not specified. Sadio Mane’s shoulder is calculated as the offside point, as indicated by the vertical line on the graph. First class

VAR Rating 6/10 – The VAR receives 6 here because the protocol has been implemented correctly. However, since offside technology cannot be considered 100% reliable, there will always be offside problems on such small fields – especially when winning and emotional goals are excluded in a match.

Handball penalty animal

Tottenham 1-1 Newcastle (27 September)

What’s going on? Andy Carroll stood up and led on the 93rd minute. In the second minute the cross in the penalty area was blocked by Eric Dier, who put his hand over his shoulder. A fine was awarded and Callum Wilson scored in the 97th minute. A dramatic equalizer.

Fault! The file name is not specified. Eric Dierre accidentally stops the ball by raising his hand over his shoulder. Tottenham Hotspur/Tottenham Hotspur Football Club via Getty Image.

What about the review? The judge, Peter Banks, found no violation, but was advised to check a possible VAR handball, Lee Mason. Because the law on handball in the Premier League was applied more strictly under pressure from FIFA, it was always a penalty. The dealer stood with his back to the game, so he couldn’t see the ball when he hit his hand – but the law doesn’t require that.

The controversial 10/10 score – It was a turning point, the fifth handball fine that the VAR imposed with three weeks to go before the start of the season. This led to the greatest controversy and enormous media attention, which actually led to a relaxation of the general interpretation of handball in order to reduce the number of fines. Ironically, however, according to the revised interpretation, such an incident would still be a punishment.

The VAR score is 10/10 – whether you like it or not, it was the perfect VAR. Whatever we think of the law itself, it is the law, and judges must obey it. FIFA says there is no room for freedom of movement in handball playing if the defender has his hand over his shoulder – whatever his intentions are.

– Follow the incident on Tottenham’s YouTube channel.

Havertz Handball under construction

West Brom 3-3 Chelsea (26 September)

What’s going on? Chelsea beat West Brom 3-0 in just 27 minutes, but in the second half Tammy Abraham scored in the 93rd minute. One stitch a minute.

Fault! The file name is not specified. Kai Havertz accidentally plays the ball before Chelsea levels in extra time.

What about the review? VAR, Darren England, tested for handball against Kai Havertz. The ball hit the midfielder’s hand and fell to Hal Robson-Kahn, whose missed shot only hit Mason Mount’s keeper – his shot was parried by keepers Sam Johnstone and Abraham.

Controversial score 6/10 – For the first time a goal was scored after handball playing, which would almost certainly have been out of the question last season. The law change stipulates that handball must have direct access to the goal – so the ball must fall directly on the mountain, and not after a failed permission from Robson-Kanu. The confusion between offensive and defensive handball meant that many fans could not understand how this could be allowed, but mild penalties were imposed for very similar offences.

VAR Note 10/10 – VAR has verified that Havertz Handball was not played intentionally, which could have ruled out a goal. That’s not true, so the check was quick, not a long stop.