When I was writing the match report yesterday for the draw against Manchester United, I suggested that VAR must have been turned off as Callum Wilson and Dan Burn were denied blatant penalties in the first half.
Manchester United also found themselves appealing for two decent penalty shouts themselves as Trippier tangled with Ronaldo in the box and Sean Longstaff launched Jadon Sancho into outer space.
All of these incidents were given the most cursory of checks by the VAR and nothing came of any incident. At the time fans were absolutely baffled by the decisions or lack thereof, myself included, but on reflection, this is exactly how VAR should operate.
Did VAR Get It Right Yesterday By Letting Ref's Decisions Stand?
No. It's there to catch these things
Yes. Ref's calls need to stand more
While each incident could have been given as penalties in another game, the whole point of the Video Assisted Referee is to correct any clear and obvious error by the on-field officials. Craig Pawson, the ref yesterday, was in a great position for three of the four incidents (the shirt swap with Dan Burn is the type of thing that goes unpunished all the time), so from the ref’s position and in real-time, Pawson felt like none of the incidents warranted further action.
Each tackle was innocuous enough that any ref would miss it in real-time and none of the incidents would likely have resulted in a goal. Ronaldo and Trippier was just a tangle of legs, Sancho would have had a penalty if he didn’t try and emulate Olga Korbut. Callum Wilson’s was the one most likely to end in a goal, but I think if he stays on his feet, the keeper has that one before Wilson gets to it. Had the ref given the penalties, I don’t think VAR would have overturned any of them either.
The game needs to stop relying on VAR as much and allow the ref’s decision to stand when it comes to things like this. VAR has allowed officials to become almost lazy or scared of making a call because they know they’re going to be second-guessed.
****Vital Newcastle are looking to recruit a new writer for the site. If you are a fan of the club and can commit to writing 3—5 articles at least 4 days per week then we would love to hear from you. Mail paddy@snack-media.com for more information****