Howard Webb, the head of officiating at Anfield, believes that Liverpool ought to have been awarded a penalty when Martin Odegaard of Arsenal handled in the box.
Odegaard lost his footing under pressure from Mohamed Salah and his hand looked to make touch with the ball during Arsenal’s 1-1 Premier League draw with the Reds in December. That one was handled well by the Gunners, and PGMOL chief executive Webb has now rendered a decision.
On Michael Owen’s Match Officials Mic’d Up, Webb stated: “We’ve talked in the past about supporting arms; if somebody breaks their fall with their arm, it’s very natural, and that’s a pretty well-established concept. The referee on the field recognized that Odegaard had slipped and saw his arm go to ground.
“This scenario differs significantly from that of a typical fallen player since Odegaard did not fall onto the ball by accident. Even though he slips and the arm comes out, the ball still makes touch with the arm because he pulls it back in towards his body.
“After reviewing the footage, the VAR concluded that Odegaard was attempting to minimize himself by drawing his arm back toward his body. That’s the crucial component in this instance: whether intentional or not, pulling the arm back toward the ball gives him a significant advantage. The comments we received made it quite evident that the game anticipates a penalty in this case. I concur, and as a result, I believe the conclusion here wasn’t correct.
Even while the percentage of accurate critical match judgments has increased since VAR was introduced, referees and other officials at Stockley Park are still making significant errors when utilizing the system. And this occurrence during the Liverpool vs. Arsenal game served as a prime illustration of that. Not only was William Saliba upset that the penalty wasn’t granted, but Jurgen Klopp was incensed that it wasn’t.
This weekend’s latest round of Premier League games will once again feature VAR. On Saturday, Arsenal will play London rivals Crystal Palace at the Emirates, and on Sunday, the Reds will visit Bournemouth.