Andy Robertson was sometimes forthright along with his evaluation of the 2 main VAR speaking factors from Liverpool’s win over Inter Milan on Tuesday night time.
The Reds had an Ibrahima Konate aim disallowed within the first half after Hugo Ekitike was adjudged to have intentionally dealt with the ball within the build-up. It appeared a harsh resolution, and it scandalously took 5 minutes for the officers to make up their thoughts, with even Rio Ferdinand expressing sympathy with the Merseysiders.
Then, in the direction of the tip of regular time, Alessandro Bastoni momentarily tugged the shirt of Florian Wirtz, with the German going to floor. Once more the referee was summoned to the pitchside VAR monitor and once more he modified his thoughts, with Dominik Szoboszlai duly burying the ensuing penalty.
Robertson has his say on each VAR interventions
Whereas Robertson was naturally perplexed over how lengthy it took for Konate’s aim to be harshly chalked off, he admitted that the spot kick that Liverpool have been awarded might have been barely beneficiant.
He instructed Amazon Prime Video Sport: “The handball, for me, if it takes seven or eight minutes to get to a conclusion, I believe it’s a must to follow the on-field resolution. They’ll’t be taking that lengthy and everybody [is] hanging round.
“If it takes that lengthy for the ref and the VAR to decide, then I believe you’ve received to stay to what the choice is. The penalty appeared tender, however anyplace else on the pitch it will get given, and fortunately we received that one.”
A sometimes trustworthy response from Robertson
We predict Robertson is appropriate on each counts.
VAR was introduced in to attempt to eradicate ‘clear and apparent’ errors, and if the officers can’t see any robust cause to overturn the unique resolution inside 40-50 seconds, then the on-field name ought to stand and the sport ought to proceed.
The ball did strike Ekitike’s arm, but it surely got here at him from shut vary and definitely wasn’t a deliberate motion by the Frenchman, whose compatriot Konate can really feel rightly aggrieved at his aim being disallowed.
Nonetheless, Robertson was sometimes trustworthy sufficient to acknowledge that the penalty resolution in Liverpool’s favour might have been tender. Bastoni did give Felix Zwayer an excuse to award the spot kick, though Wirtz’s fall to the bottom was somewhat theatrical, and we’d have been fuming if it occurred the opposite manner round.
Nonetheless, it was the type of break that the Reds wanted after such a troublesome season, and amid the fallout from Mo Salah’s feedback on the weekend.
Additionally, on the steadiness of play, Arne Slot’s facet have been deserving of their victory, which retains us in agency competition to advance on to the final 16 of the Champions League and bypass the knockout play-off spherical in February.
