Dominik Szoboszlai wanted a penalty.
Liverpool wanted a penalty.
And judging from the reaction inside the stadium, plenty of us thought Liverpool might actually get one.
But then came VAR.
And over two minutes later, we finally got the answer.
Szoboszlai had been offside in the build-up.
So yes — the correct decision was eventually made.
But why on earth did it take so long?
The delay was ridiculous
This is exactly what frustrates me about VAR.
I’m not complaining that the penalty wasn’t awarded.
If Szoboszlai was offside before the incident, then Liverpool shouldn’t get the penalty. Simple.
What I don’t understand is why it apparently took more than two minutes to establish something that should have been dealt with far quicker.
The whole point of technology is surely to make these decisions more accurate without bringing the game to a standstill.
Instead, everyone was left waiting.
Players were waiting.
The supporters were waiting.
The referee was waiting.
And nobody really knew what was happening.
Get the decision right — but get it quicker
I’m all for VAR getting the decision right.
I’d rather wait a little longer and get an important decision correct than have another major refereeing mistake decide a match.
But there has to be a balance.
The Premier League has already introduced semi-automated offside technology specifically to make these decisions quicker and more accurate.
So when we’re still waiting for more than two minutes to establish whether a player was offside, you have to ask questions.
Why is it taking this long?
Szoboszlai thought he had a chance
From Szoboszlai’s perspective, you can understand why he wanted the penalty.
There was contact and he immediately appealed.
The referee initially didn’t give it, before VAR intervened to examine what had happened.
But then the offside in the build-up changed everything.
Once that was established, the penalty was never going to stand.
And that’s fine.
Correct decision.
But the process was far too slow.
Liverpool have seen enough VAR drama
Liverpool supporters probably have a lower tolerance for VAR delays than most.
We’ve experienced some of the most infamous VAR controversies in Premier League history, including the disastrous decision at Tottenham involving Luis Diaz.
So whenever something involving Liverpool goes to VAR, you immediately start wondering how long it’s going to take and what on earth is happening.
That shouldn’t be the case.
VAR should give supporters more confidence in refereeing, not leave everyone sitting around wondering what the officials are doing.
What’s the point of semi-automated offside technology?
This is the part I really don’t understand.
Offside decisions are supposed to be one of the areas where technology can make life easier for officials.
The Premier League introduced semi-automated offside technology to help speed up the process.
Yet we’re still seeing lengthy stoppages.
If the technology can establish the offside quickly, use it.
If there’s a separate question about whether an offence happened before the offside, then deal with that.
But standing around for more than two minutes while everyone waits for an answer isn’t good for the game.
Right decision, wrong process
And that’s ultimately my view.
The officials got the decision right.
Szoboszlai was offside.
Liverpool shouldn’t have been awarded the penalty.
I’m not going to complain about that.
But VAR taking more than two minutes to reach the conclusion is unacceptable.
Football is supposed to flow.
One of the great things about the game is the emotion, the speed and the unpredictability.
Every time VAR takes an age to make a decision, some of that disappears.
VAR needs to be quicker
I don’t want VAR removed.
I want it improved.
If technology is going to be part of Premier League football, then let’s use it properly.
Get the decision right.
Explain it clearly.
And make the process as quick as reasonably possible.
Because nobody wants to celebrate a penalty, wait two minutes, watch everyone stand around and then finally hear that the player was offside.
Right decision? Yes.
Right process? Absolutely not.
VAR needs to be much quicker than this.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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