Liverpool is undoubtedly one of the favorites to win Premier League. He leads the pack with 18 points after seven games. Only once did Arne Slot's players have to acknowledge the superiority of their opponent. It took place in mid-September, when Nottingham Forrest quite unexpectedly lost 0-1. They haven't recorded a draw yet this season, although there was a good chance of it on Saturday afternoon. However, the judges came to the rescue, which caused a huge stir throughout England.
A bizarre decision by the referee and VAR. Crystal Palace deserved a penalty, but… no offense was found
That day, Liverpool played away against Crystal Palace. And already in the 9th minute, Diogo Jota took the lead for the guests. However, the hosts did not give up and looked for chances. They had one of them in the 71st minute. Then there was a lot of confusion in the penalty area. After the cross, the ball reached Trevoh Chalobah. He was unable to take a shot and turned towards the goal and passed it to Marc Guehi. He was in the perfect position and could have tried to head the ball into the net.
He could have, because in the end he didn't. He didn't even touch it balls. Virgil van Dijk effectively prevented him from doing so. And according to many, he did it in an illegal way. He held the Ivorian's hand until he fell to the ground. Football players Crystal Palace called for a penalty kick. However, neither the referee nor VAR surprisingly, they found no offense.
Storm on social media. Fans react to the referee's bizarre decision. VAR also issued a statement
Due to this, a huge storm broke out on the Internet. “Look at van Dijk and tell me it's not a foul”, “How come there is no penalty? Van Dijk is clearly holding Guehi down. Liverpool are very lucky”, “Crystal Palace was robbed”, “Van Dijk he held Guehi with both hands in the penalty area, but VAR didn't even pay attention to it,” Internet users ironized.
It didn't take long for VAR to respond. The Premier League Match Center's X profile has published the referees' official justification. “The referee's decision not to award a penalty for van Dijk's attack on Guehi was reviewed and confirmed by VAR. VAR found that the attack was not a long-term hold and had no impact on the competition,” we read. This statement caused even more stir on the Internet.
Certainly about the situation with match Liverpool will be the talk of the town for days. It had a real impact on the outcome of the match. Liverpool strengthened their lead, while Crystal Palace failed to get out of the relegation zone. They are in 18th place with only three points, which consists of three draws and as many as four defeats. So he's still waiting for a win this season.