In many ways there’s no real need to get worked up about a poor refereeing decision that doesn’t have an impact on the outcome of a game, but it’s just yet another example of VAR not doing it’s job in the Premier League.
The officials on the pitch can be forgiven if they don’t see something properly, but there’s really no excuse for VAR to miss an obvious foul when they get the chance to watch it from several angles.
This is an example from the Southampton vs Newcastle game tonight, and it’s a pretty clear penalty:
? – "That is a ????? foul!"
VAR saw nothing wrong with this challenge from Lascelles on Walcott – do you think it should have been a penalty? ?
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We can give the on-field official the benefit of the doubt if he feels the defender either gets the ball or doesn’t touch Walcott, and initially it does look like he maybe missed the man and the ball.
The last camera angle is damning and shows that Walcott is wiped out, and it’s going to lead to another situation where VAR is going to be in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.