A new modification to the Premier League’s VAR system has been implemented in response to a significant issue involving Liverpool and Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal against Spurs. The incident prompted a change in the VAR procedure to prevent similar controversies from arising in the future.
In the match in question, Liverpool’s Luis Diaz had a goal incorrectly disallowed due to an erroneous ruling transmitted from Stockley Park. Head of VAR, Darren England, believed that Diaz’s goal was onside based on the on-field ruling. When he released the decision, it was apparent that Diaz was behind the final Spurs defender, leading to the declaration of “Check complete.” However, Spurs went on to win the match 2-1 after VAR authorities realized their mistake moments later. Unfortunately, it was deemed too late to reverse the decision and award the goal.
In light of this incident, changes were made to the VAR protocol to avoid similar errors in the future. To ensure better communication between officials and prevent confusion, the phrase “pitch decision confirmed” will now be uttered before the words “check complete.” This modification aims to make it clear to all involved parties what is being reviewed and confirmed during VAR checks.
The modification was triggered by an incident in a match between Chelsea and Arsenal. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer received a yellow card after a challenge on Gabriel Jesus, which was subsequently investigated for a potential sending-off. It was during this review that the new VAR procedure was introduced. Shortly after the investigation, the winger Palmer gave Chelsea the lead from the penalty spot. VAR had suggested reviewing the play on the field to determine if William Saliba had committed a handball.
Palmer confidently dispatched the penalty past Arsenal’s David Raya, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. This decision was confirmed by the match official, Chris Kavanagh, after consulting with VAR, giving the home team the advantage in a heated London derby. However, the match saw more drama as Oleksandr Zinchenko, a player for Chelsea, received two yellow cards and conceded a penalty for a foul on his international teammate, Mykhailo Mudryk, just 25 minutes into the game.
