WEST HAM V LIVERPOOL
Aaron Cresswell was lucky to stay on the pitch.
Yet again we have seen inconsistency from VAR. This one was similar to Mason Holgate’s which he saw red for in Everton’s draw with Spurs, as it endangered the player’s safety.
Cresswell’s foot caught the top of the ball and and his follow-through crashed in Jordan Henderson’s knee.
Amazingly, referee Craig Pawson did not even award a free-kick.
I do not think there would be any complaints if VAR Stuart Attwell had recommended a review for a red card.
However, Jurgen Klopp can have no issue over West Ham’s opening goal.
There was no foul and his goalkeeper Alisson has got to be stronger in that situation.
Diogo Jota collided with Angelo Ogbonna in another first-half incident and while the West Ham defender was hurt after being caught by an elbow, it was totally accidental.
BRIGHTON V NEWCASTLE
If you are watching an incident for more than two minutes you will end up seeing whatever you want to find.
I can understand if referee David Coote had a given a penalty straight away.
You could argue there was contact from Newcastle defender Ciaran Clark who was naïve.
Coote was perfectly placed and did not see any foul at all. Was that a clear and obvious error?
It simply cannot have been because it took VAR Craig Pawson more than two minutes.
Pawson has effectively re-refereed that incident.
Alex Telles fouled Gabriel Jesus in the Manchester derby in a very similar incident and VAR did not intervene. Where is the consistency?
ARSENAL V WATFORD
It is easy to understand why Claudio Ranieri was so angry at full-time.
You can argue it was a foul on Ismaila Sarr by Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
But is should never have taken VAR Jarred Gillett two minutes to look at the incident.
I think that Ranieri has taken his frustration from all of that and directed it at Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side were not obliged to kick the ball out of play so that Sarr could receive medical attention.
EVERTON V SPURS
VAR official Jon Moss has got this one right.
Referee Chris Kavanagh is in a great position and you can clearly see Hugo Lloris got his hand on the ball before making contact with Richarlison.
The Everton forward bounced straight back to his feet – which is unlike him!
Mason Holgate was correctly sent off for challenge on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg which endangered the Spurs player’s safety.
Holgate cleared the ball initially.
But his follow-through caught Hojbjerg high on his leg and it was the correct decision to upgrade from a yellow to a red card.
Cresswell’s tackle on Henderson was accidental (by pure bad luck, the ball propelled his foot upwards and into Henderson). If Jota’s elbow (which looked far more cynical) can be dismissed as an accident, Cresswell’s tackle (which caused much less damage) can be read in the same way.
IF Cresswell is sent off for that tackle, then Jota must go for his elbow …… and how about a yellow card for Mo Salah’s dive for the free kick??