I honestly don’t know what the officials are looking at anymore.
Liverpool were denied what looked like a very strong penalty appeal against Ipswich tonight — and after what happened to Alisson against Nottingham Forest last weekend, the inconsistency is becoming incredibly frustrating.
How can one be given and the other not?
That’s the question Liverpool supporters will be asking.
So this isn’t a penalty?
Dominik Szoboszlai went down inside the Ipswich penalty area after being caught from behind.
The referee initially waved play on.
VAR then intervened and sent the referee to the monitor.
At that point, Liverpool supporters were expecting the decision to be overturned.
But there was a catch.
Szoboszlai was marginally offside earlier in the move.
So the penalty wasn’t given.
Technically, that explains the decision.
But it doesn’t make the officiating any less frustrating.
Compare that with Alisson last weekend
This is where I struggle with the consistency.
Against Nottingham Forest, Alisson was penalised after making contact with Neco Williams inside the Liverpool penalty area.
The penalty was checked by VAR and confirmed.
The Premier League’s explanation was that Alisson’s right hand made contact with Williams’ left foot and that he didn’t play the ball.
Liverpool were furious about it.
And tonight we’re seeing another situation where contact inside the box has become a huge talking point.
I’m not saying the two incidents are exactly the same.
They aren’t.
But supporters are entitled to ask why the threshold for awarding penalties can feel so inconsistent.
The problem is consistency
That’s my biggest issue with refereeing at the moment.
It’s not necessarily that every decision has to go Liverpool’s way.
Far from it.
If Liverpool commit a foul, give the penalty.
If Liverpool are offside, rule the goal out.
If Liverpool deserve a free-kick, give it.
Just be consistent.
That’s all supporters want.
Football is difficult enough without wondering what the referee’s interpretation of a challenge is going to be from one week to the next.
And then there’s VAR
VAR was supposed to make these decisions easier.
Instead, sometimes it seems to make everything even more complicated.
The referee originally allowed play to continue.
VAR spotted the potential foul and sent him to the screen.
Everyone thinks:
Penalty.
Then suddenly the offside in the build-up becomes the deciding factor.
And technically, that’s the correct way to apply the laws.
But it still leaves supporters wondering why we’re spending several minutes analysing tiny margins when the original incident itself looked so obvious.
Liverpool can’t control the officials
Ultimately, Liverpool have to concentrate on what they can control.
They were already 2-0 ahead thanks to Alexander Isak’s brilliant first-half double.
They’ve created enough opportunities to win the game.
And they need to make sure they don’t allow one controversial decision to distract them.
But that doesn’t mean supporters can’t be angry about the officiating.
Because when you see different incidents interpreted differently, it’s completely understandable that fans start asking questions.
Am I saying Liverpool are being deliberately targeted?
No.
I’m not going down that road.
I don’t believe there’s some conspiracy against Liverpool.
But I do believe the standard of officiating needs to improve.
And it needs to become more consistent.
The Premier League has some of the best players and managers in world football.
The refereeing standards should match them.
Just make it make sense
Liverpool supporters aren’t asking for special treatment.
We’re asking for decisions to be applied consistently.
If that’s a penalty one week, explain why a similar situation isn’t a penalty the next.
If VAR intervenes, explain clearly why.
And if an incident is ultimately ruled out because of an earlier offside, then fine — but supporters are still entitled to question the decision-making process.
Because right now, it’s becoming incredibly difficult to know what is and isn’t going to be given.
Absolutely ridiculous at times.
The officiating has to be better.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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