FOOTBALL fans were left stunned when Liverpool’s opening goal against Wolves was allowed to stand – despite Virgil van Dijk clearly handling the ball in the build-up.
The leaders opened the scoring when Sadio Mane turned the ball home after Adam Lallana had failed to control Van Dijk’s long ball upfield.
Virgil van Dijk handles the ball immediately before setting Liverpool on the way to the opening goal
Ref Anthony Taylor initially blew up for a foul believing Lallana had handled the ball – but VAR overruled him as replays showed the ball hit his shoulder.
But what officials at Stockley Park failed to notice, was that two seconds earlier Van Dijk controlled the ball with his right hand immediately before launching his pass forward.
It was reported on television that the officials had looked at what had happened and decided it was inconclusive that the Liverpool defender had handled.
SunSport’s ref expert Mark Halsey said: “It is handball, although accidental, and van Dijk’s long ball led to a goal so it should have been disallowed under Law 12 – handling the ball.”
It has been claimed that the handball was not given as it did not play a direct role in creating it – despite Van Dijk playing the pass to Lallana just a couple of seconds after handling.
Van Dijk handled to control the ball then launched it forward where Mane scored within four seconds
That is why Taylor is believed to have told the furious Wolves players that any offence had taken place too early in the move before the goal.
However, the hypocrisy of the laws mean that if Van Dijk had fouled an opponent before hoofing his ball forward, that offence would have resulted in the goal being ruled out.
Liverpool then benefited from another fractional VAR decision on the stroke of half-time when Wolves were denied an equaliser by a marginal offside in the build up to the goal.
It led to #LiVARpool trending on Twitter as supporters questioned how the runaway leaders were benefiting from the technology.
Wolves were denied an equalising goal by the tightest of offside decisions
Premier League refs stunned after chief Mike Riley says he’s ‘well pleased with how VAR is operating’
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
