Referee chaos in Liverpool necessitated the Premier League to issue two Arsenal VAR statements.

Arsenal, for the second weekend in a succession, were left with inquiries regarding the referee. Mikel

Arteta’s team was once again left frustrated after the 2-0 loss at Bournemouth, which resulted in William Saliba’s dismissal, which incited anger among the club’s travelling away supporters and online followers. Rob Jones converted his yellow card to a red at the Vitality Stadium following a VAR review that suggested verifying the decision through the pitchside monitor. Liverpool ultimately held Arsenal to a 2-2 draw on Sunday, with Anthony Taylor serving as the pivot. The Reds responded to goals from Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino by scoring twice, culminating in a late goal that leveled the score. The match between the title rivals was not devoid of conversation starters, despite the fact that the quality was subpar at times. Virgil van Dijk appeared to kick out twice at Kai Havertz in a minor provocation between the two players early on, and lengthy VAR checks were once again in effect. In the first half, Gabriel Martinelli perceived that he was fouled while situated between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate.

The Premier League’s Match Centre, an official X – formerly Twitter – account, stated that the referee’s decision to not award a penalty for Konate’s challenge on Martinelli was verified and affirmed by VAR, which determined that Konate had won the ball. Arsenal players were left dissatisfied with the decision of Taylor and Stockley Park officials to not award them a penalty, as the score was 1-1 at the time. The wrath had transformed into joy by the halfway point. Declan Rice’s inch-perfect cross resulted in the arrival of merino. However, the confirmation of that objective necessitated an external evaluation.The VAR verified the goal, as there were no assailants in an offside position, according to the Match Centre. On commentary, Gary Neville expressed his dissatisfaction with the pace of Michael Salisbury and Darren Cann in their roles as assistant VAR and VAR. The referee discourse was not concluded at that point. Taylor did not make any friends in the Arsenal squad or fanbase as he blew an early opportunity during a play that would have resulted in Gabriel Jesus tapping in for a late winner, with only seconds of normal time remaining. The Brazilian appeared perplexed upon observing that Taylor had already terminated the game, while Kai Havertz was also perplexed after his attempt struck the post. Initially, Havertz leapt alongside Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate as the ball deflected off his bicep, but it was a football.Taylor deemed Jakub Kiwior’s challenge on Dominik Szoboszlai to be unlawful, according to London.

The ball was won in the air by Kiwior, who vaulted over and into Szoboszlai, resulting in a dominating header that left him on the ground. Taylor determined that Szoboszlai had been fouled, despite the fact that he did not leap or compete for the ball. Consequently, Havertz’s handball, the subsequent shot, and Jesus’ subsequent finish were rendered irrelevant. Taylor’s decision to cease play rendered VAR incapable of exercising any influence. Arteta later disclosed that he had not been informed of the rationale behind the penalty. “I’m sure we’ll get a letter afterwards but I don’t know,” according to him. Mike Dean, a former Premier League referee, clarified, “It’s more of a soft foul if anything; to be fair, he’s just penalized the Arsenal player.” For me, it is likely a 50/50 decision. To be frank, I cannot criticize the referee for having a fine game.