Tottenham-Liverpool VAR fiasco asks serious questions of PGMOL

VAR was the talking point after Tottenham-Liverpool on Saturday night. A match full of incident saw Spurs emerge victorious 2-1 over the Reds. However, the game was marred by controversy which has meant almost all discussion after the game is about Premier League refereeing and the VAR system.

How Tottenham-Liverpool VAR Story Unfolded

The chart above shows the key events during this dramatic match of football. The three awarded goals were all relatively uncontroversial. The same can’t be said of the other incidents highlighted. Let’s review them individually.

26′ 🟥 Red Card for Jones

Curtis Jones fouled Yves Bissouma in the 24th minute and received a yellow card. However, VAR took another look at the incident. After their review, match referee Simon Hooper was sent to look at it on the pitchside monitor.

After reviewing the incident, Hooper canceled the yellow card he had previously awarded and instead sent Jones off with a straight red for dangerous play.

Verdict: This sort of challenge happens in a lot of games. Jones made contact with the ball, but then appeared to slip on it and collided with Bissouma. The challenge could be classified as dangerous and a red card does make some sense. However, there are still some questions raised:

• Will this decision be given consistently for all tackles/incidents of this type going forward?
• If not, and it’s possible this type of challenge could be given as a yellow card in future matches, then is it appropriate for VAR to intervene on something that was not a clear and obvious error?
• During the pitchside review, referee Hooper was only shown a still image of the moment when Jones made contact with Bissouma. Was the correct process followed here or should he have seen a replay of the entire challenge?

34′ 📺 Diaz goal disallowed

In the 34th minute, Mohamed Salah played a well-timed through pass to send Luis Diaz clear on goal. The Colombian made no mistake as he confidently finished the chance. The linesman flagged Diaz offside, but VAR reviewed the goal.

This is where things get very confusing. It seems that Video Assistant Referee Darren England thought the goal had been given on the pitch. He believed he was checking for any issue which should disallow the goal. Therefore he very quickly completed his check and announced this to match referee Hooper.

Verdict: This goal clearly should have stood – the replays are very clear that Diaz was onside. Clearly a process error was made in the VAR check. Processes need to be improved to avoid this happening again.

69′ 🟥 Red Card for Jota

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota entered the game as a half-time substitute, replacing Cody Gakpo. Jota was booked for a foul on Destiny Udogie in the 68th minute. He then received a second yellow for another foul on Udogie less than two minutes later.

Verdict: The first card was perhaps slightly harsh, but this can happen to many players in a lot of games. The second foul is definitely a foul and the sort for which a player usually receives a yellow card. Jota was foolish to make this tackle having already been booked. He gave the referee a decision to make when he didn’t have to. I think this one is on Jota and he’ll have to take it on the chin. He has more to learn from this incident than the match officials.

What do Tottenham-Liverpool VAR questions mean for PGMOL?

As I’ve mentioned above, PGMOL is the body responsible for Premier League referees. They have already admitted publicly that a “serious human error” resulted in the Diaz goal being disallowed.

However, I still don’t think PGMOL are thinking about things in the right way. Their response talks of “human error” but doesn’t reassure fans that systemic learning will take place. I discussed Premier League VAR last season. I still believe in what I proposed back then. Howard Webb, as the head of PGMOL, needs to have a weekly meeting with his team. They need to review the issues in this game with reference to their standard work processes. Any lessons need to be incorporated back into those work processes.

When I wrote that article in February, Webb responded by demoting the referee in question. He did the same this weekend. Darren England had been due to be 4th official for the Nottingham Forest v Brentford game. He was removed from that game. I understand that this is popular with fans but I don’t believe it’s actually effective. I remember officials being demoted to lower leagues 20 years ago. Standards of refereeing in English football have not improved. I believe Webb has to lead a learning organisation and be scientific and structural about issues. Until he does that, I don’t see things improving.

Personally I am quite bored of talking about referees. We’re in the opening periods of a fascinating season. There are so many great stories amongst the players and coaches. I don’t want to be talking about referees. I want them to be quietly efficient, to be almost invisible because they just get things right.

What next for Liverpool?

Liverpool have issued a public statement calling for a review of the refereeing errors. I agree with this, although as I just said above I think it needs to go further. Instead of a one-off review, we need a regular review process by Webb and his team to drive a culture of learning and improvement.

The inclusion in Liverpool’s statement that they will “explore the range of options available” does worry me. If match results become subject to legal challenge, this could open an immense can of worms for English football. This is another reason that Webb and his colleagues need to get their response right.

With an extra goal or without one of the red cards I suspect Liverpool would have at least drawn this match. If they had a 1-0 lead, they may even have been able to score more on the counter-attack. Goals do change games and Diaz’s goal being disallowed was a ridiculous decision. But Liverpool fans should take heart because their team looks very resilient and almost got a draw from the game even playing with nine men.

I think Liverpool are in good shape to compete for trophies this season. And I am sure that Klopp will try to ensure Jota learns from his red card in this game. Although many of the decisions were bad, I think Jota can have few complaints. You can’t make the challenge he did when you’re already booked. Jota will have to learn from that decision even as Liverpool complain about the others.

Liverpool’s next game comes in the Europa League this week, so they won’t have an English referee. Maybe that’s a good thing and they’ll hope to get back to winning ways.

What next for Tottenham?

The win is a big one for Tottenham. They have had a strong start to the season under new boss Ange Postecoglu, whose good work at Celtic we discussed previously. They also got a good draw at Arsenal in the previous game.

Spurs play Premier League new boys Luton Town in their next game and will hope to make it to the second international break still unbeaten.

I’m not someone who buys into the league table at such an early stage of the season. However, Spurs will be pleased with their run through the first 7 games of the season. This is especially the case after losing Harry Kane in the summer. I don’t personally think they’re quite as strong as the very top teams. However, the longer they can remain unbeaten the more they’ll hope this will be a season to remember.