Mike Dean has revealed what the VAR told the referee immediately following the Diogo Jota penalty controversy in Friday night’s Liverpool vs. Newcastle United match.
Liverpool defeated Newcastle 4-2 thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Curtis Jones.
Salah scored twice after missing a penalty in the first half. However, it was the Egyptian’s second attempt from the spot that sparked debate.
After originally taking the ball around Martin Dubravka, Diogo Jota went down inside the penalty area.
Dubravka’s arm made little impact with Jota’s foot, but the Portuguese forward went a few further strides before collapsing.
Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot immediately, and the VAR upheld the on-field decision.
It happened at a crucial point in the game, as Newcastle had just been given a 3-2 lead by Sven Botman’s effort.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean reported what the VAR said only moments after the incident on Sky Sports’ broadcast of the game last night.
Dean explains what the VAR told the referee immediately following the Jota penalty incident.
Dean first claimed that he did not believe a penalty should have been imposed. However, the former referee added that once granted, it was tough to overturn due to Dubravka’s contact with Jota’s foot.
“I think we’ve heard Stuart Attwell just then on VAR, well we have anyway, there’s clear contact by the left elbow of Dubravka on the foot of Jota,” Dean went on to say. “So, once he’s given the penalty it is hard to overturn.”
This choice has certainly raised some eyebrows, with Ian Wright blasting Jota on social media.
It was a perplexing point in the game since it was easier for Jota to put the ball in the net than to go down.
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