VAR Audio Reveals Why Crystal Palace Penalty Was Denied Against Liverpool
Controversy swirled during Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace as new VAR audio revealed the reasoning behind the decision not to award a penalty to Palace during the match. The Reds held onto their slim lead, courtesy of Diogo Jota’s decisive goal, but faced a tense moment when Palace called for a spot-kick.
The incident in question saw Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk engage in a tussle with Palace defender Marc Guehi during a cross into the box. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) David Coote reviewed the moment closely after referee Simon Hooper decided against awarding a penalty. Despite Guehi’s protests, Coote ultimately upheld Hooper’s on-field decision.
Coote’s audio, recently released on the Premier League’s ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up,’ clarified his perspective. “There’s a small hold by No. 4 [Van Dijk] on him [Guehi], but it has no impact. He’s never getting to the ball,” explained Coote during the review. This statement confirmed that the alleged infringement by Van Dijk was deemed insufficient to warrant a penalty.
The Premier League’s refereeing chief, Howard Webb, also weighed in on the discussion during the program. Webb supported Coote’s analysis and offered further insight into the decision-making process behind the scenes.
“In this case, we see an action by Van Dijk that is very quick, particularly at full speed, and the ball is always going towards the goalkeeper,” Webb said. “We don’t think that the action really impacts Guehi’s ability to get to the ball. The referee saw it that way, didn’t penalise [Van Dijk], and when VAR checked it, they saw it in the same way.”
Webb also highlighted the visual challenges of reviewing such incidents: “If you look at the [incident] at 50 percent [speed], of course, it’s going to double the amount of time the holding happens, and if you put it at 25 percent, it makes it four times as long. Of course, it can look a lot more impactful as well.”
While the decision was met with mixed reactions, the transparency in the audio has provided a clearer understanding of why no penalty was given, allowing Liverpool to maintain their place at the top of the Premier League table.
VAR Audio Reveals Why Crystal Palace Penalty Was Denied Against Liverpool
