The Premier League has explained why VAR stuck with the decision made by referee Samuel Barrott to award Southampton a penalty against Liverpool on Sunday.
Towards the end of the first half, Robertson fouled Southampton midfielder Tyler Dibling and Barrott paused before eventually pointing to the spot. There was then a VAR review, as replay cameras appeared to show that the foul occurred outside of the 18-yard box.
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However, followingly a lengthy review, the VAR team decided that Barrott had made the correct decision. “The referee’s call of penalty for the challenge by Robertson on Dibling is checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed there was no conclusive evidence that the contact occurred outside the penalty area,” Premier League Match Centre confirmed on social media.
Although it was a clear foul by Robertson, he pleaded with Barrott to check the screen as he was certain the challenge came outside the area. But the damage was already done, and Southampton striker Adam Armstrong scored a rebound after seeing his initial effort saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
The first half ended 1-1 after Dominik Szoboszlai put Liverpool ahead inside 30 minutes, taking advantage of some problematic Southampton defending. Armstrong’s equalizer was a blow for Liverpool, especially as Southampton could have been reduced to 10 men.
Former Liverpool star Adam Lallana started for Southampton on Sunday, and scraped Ryan Gravenberch’s left ankle as his foot was planted. Lallana was shown a yellow card for the challenge but VAR did not consider it dangerous and therefore didn’t tell Barrott to review the incident.
Premier League legend Roy Keane reacted to the foul on Sky Sports, and believes that Lallana was lucky to avoid a straight red card. “I think so,” Keane said when evaluating if Lallana should have been sent off. “He’s not in control, he’s not even looking at the ball! There at the right last second [he looks].
“Listen, I would have been sent off for it. I would have done! 100%. And there would have been no complaints. They’ve definitely looked at the player and thought ‘well he’s not the nasty type’, none of the Liverpool players were appealing for it, he’s an ex-teammate… the more I look at it the worse it is. I think it’s a red.”
