Section of match point giving updates on the VAR decisions carried out on a weekly basis in the premier league, whereby a final VAR verdict will be reached at the end of the season whether VAR was a success or a failure during its debut season in the premier league.
MATCH-DAY 26
Sat 8th Feb
Everton vs Crystal Palace (3 – 1)
- 43′ Penalty appeal for a challenge on Zaha by Seamus Coleman, VAR check complete and no penalty awarded.
Brighton vs Watford (1 -1)
- 42′ Big penalty appeal for Brighton as a coming together between Schelotto and Deulofeu results in the Brighton player going to ground in the box. The referee waved play on and VAR awarded no penalty.
Sun 9th Feb
Sheffield United vs Bournemouth (2 – 1)
- No VAR checks were conducted during the 90 minutes.
Fri 14th Feb
Wolves vs Leicester (0 – 0)
- 45’ – Wily Boly’s headed goal from a short corner routine was ruled out for offside in the build-up.
Sat 15th Feb
Southampton vs Burnley (1 – 2)
- 82’ The ball strikes Ben Mee on the arm leading to penalty appeals from the saints but VAR rules his hand was in a natural position and no penalty was awarded.
Norwich vs Liverpool (0 – 1)
- 78’ Mane’s goal is checked for a possible foul in the lead up to the goal, as it appears that he may have pushed the center half in the back to get the ball. After a lengthy VAR check the referees on field decision is upheld so the goal stands.
Sun 16th Feb
Aston Villa vs Tottenham (2 – 3)
- 45’ Spurs penalty awarded against Engels for the challenge on Bergwijn.
Arsenal vs Newcastle (4 – 0)
- No VAR checks were conducted throughout the duration of the game.
Mon 17th Feb
Chelsea vs Manchester United (0 – 2)
- 21’ VAR check for dangerous play against Maguire as he appears to lash out at the Chelsea forward as he goes to ground. No foul play found.
- 55’ Kurt Zouma’s goal from a Chelsea corner is disallowed for a foul in the box by Azpilicueta
- 77’ Giroud’s headed Goal is disallowed for a narrow offside.
Wed 19th Feb
Manchester City vs West Ham (2 – 0)
- No VAR checks carried out during the game
Summing up the action from Match-day (26):
VAR played a major role in 3 of the fixtures scheduled, deciding how the points were split between the teams in each case. The first game being a top half of the table clash between Wolves and Leicester in Molineux, where a controversial VAR call was the main talking point in an otherwise damp squib nil all. The decision was another narrow offside, which premier league fans are becoming all too familiar with and left many in the stadium, at home and on the pitch wondering where and why the goal was disallowed. The confusion was further not helped when the ref could not explain to the Wolverhampton captain, Conor Coady, where and why the goal had been flagged for offside, leaving the wolves captain a frustrated figure walking down the tunnel for half time. This poor communication is one of the main issues many fans have with VAR and has many pundits and former players such as Gary Neville asking for the officials to be ‘mic’d up’ in a similar fashion to rugby where technology is so successful in the sport. This was a bad game for VAR and highlights the changes the FA need to consider for next season.
The second game where VAR played a defining role was Aston Villa vs Tottenham in Villa Park, as right on the cusp of half time a penalty was awarded in favour of spurs. Initially, it looked a fine challenge in real time with the referee pointing for a goal kick. However, this was overturned after a 2-minute VAR check which eventually lead to Heung Min-Son converting from the penalty spot and ultimately awarded all three points to spurs. A positive use of VAR which eventually arrived at the correct decision, which is why it was brought in.
The last game impacted by VAR was the Monday night football game between Chelsea and Manchester United in Stamford Bridge, where United had the rub of the green with the three major incidents in the game. Chelsea found the back of the net twice to seemingly get them back in the game, but on both occasions the goals were rightly ruled out by VAR for an offside and a foul in the build-up. However, during the 21st minute of the game Harry Maguire escaped a red card for dangerous play, for a similar incident that saw Heung Min-Son sent off against Chelsea only a few weeks prior. Both Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher agreed after the game that Maguire was very lucky to escape a red card which would have completely changed the shape of the game and inevitably the result. This lack of consistency with VAR calls is also one of the main issues being raised by fans and players alike and is something the FA and officials must strive for in the future.
All other premier league games for this match day had minimum if not any VAR checks carried out during the 90 minutes. All checks such as the handball check in the Southampton vs Burnley game were in accordance with the on-field decision of the referee, so the technology was not a major talking point during the game.
Match Point 