No way the second one was. Not by our rules. Maybe in the champions League.From what I’ve witnessed Liverpool should have conceded two penalties under VAR today for handballs, but the VAR gods only give those for Liverpool not against.
I think the fact that it didn't affect the game is the problem. It's not as if they overturned good decisions. If this game was played without VAR it would have been the exact same game, just without any delays.No way the second one was. Not by our rules. Maybe in the champions League.
First definitely was and led to a possible two goal swing from one nil up to one down.
VAR still massively affecting games for the worse.
I feel the officiating has gotten worse this year which is shocking considering how abysmal it was last season.I just can't see what it's adding to the game.
Big calls still looking questionable. Officials still making inconsistent decisions. Killing the suspense after a goal waiting for the review.
Nothing that it was here to replace has been improved IMHO.
A focus on a better standard of officiating would have made a far bigger, positive difference i feel.
I've got a question / scenario. It's hypothetical, but based on yesterday's Trent Alexander Arnold handball incident and subsequent Liverpool goal 20 seconds later, which got me thinking.
We know that the threshold for handballs is lower where it leads to a goal as an attacker (i.e. if it hits your hand at all in the build up, it is disallowed) than it is to give away a penalty as a defender (has to be intent to handle the ball, or whatever the law is these days...).
So VAR took a look at that TAA handball yesterday and decided it wasn't a penalty. Fine. Liverpool then went straight up the other end and scored. Now in this instance, 20 seconds passed and that's fine, I'm not saying it should have been disallowed, but let's say Liverpool broke far quicker. Say 1 long ball over the top, then finished the 1 v 1 - it's feasible a goal could be scored less than 10 seconds, and only 1 or 2 passes after a handball appeal for a penalty. Although unlikely, this is a perfectly realistic possibility. We've seen goals disallowed for an offside in the build up which were 10 seconds before the goal (and VAR can only intervene where there is an offside in the direct build up to a goal), so we have to assume that a handball equally as far back would also be considered as during the build up to a goal.
In this instance then, would VAR look at the handball, decide it isn't enough for a penalty, but see it did hit his hand, so disallow the goal and then it would have to come back for a Man City penalty, even though they just decided it wasn't a penalty
This isn't even a particularly far fetched scenario, but feels utterly ridiculous.
There was 2 handballs in that phase of play, the game should have been stopped at the very least.
The handball by Silva only counts if City score as a result of it.
No way the second one was. Not by our rules. Maybe in the champions League.
First definitely was and led to a possible two goal swing from one nil up to one down.
VAR still massively affecting games for the worse.