When you look at the image above, it beggars belief that Everton’s Jordan Pickford never even received a yellow card for his challenge on Virgil Van Dijk.
It would appear that the Dutchman’s season could be over which would be a huge blow to reigning Premier League champions, Liverpool, who would be within their rights to still be smarting that Pickford got away scot-free.
The introduction of VAR has been a disaster in the main, with the most minuscule of offside decisions going to review, and then something as sickening as Pickford’s challenge let go.
If we give the on-pitch referee the benefit of the doubt in most cases, and let’s say he didn’t see the incident in today’s Merseyside derby, then any VAR official in their right mind has to bring the man in the middle over to the monitor.
Van Dijk being marginally offside – and even that was questionable – in the build up cannot possibly be the excuse why the Everton keeper wasn’t punished.
If there isn’t retrospective punishment, there will be uproar.
There is no consistency with the review process, or with decisions themselves, and it’s little wonder that Premier League players and managers are getting more and more frustrated.
It’s VAR-sical.