Liverpool title rivals Arsenal face VAR controversy

Premier League referee Paul Tierney will be on VAR duty for Arsenal’s game against Brentford on Saturday – with the official not refereeing a game this weekend in the wake of his controversial decision during Liverpool’s win against Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal will go top of the Premier League on Saturday with a win against Brentford, before all eyes turn to Liverpool vs Manchester City on Sunday.

It is a mouth-watering clash at the top of the table and with neither team showing signs of easing up, every point will be crucial before the end of May.

Liverpool will be all too aware of this after they secured a last-gasp winner at the City Ground thanks to a Darwin Nunez header in the 99th minute.

Yet the goal proved to be hugely controversial after Tierney failed to correctly apply the laws of the game moments beforehand.

What happened?

In the 97th minute, Tierney wrongly handed the ball to Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to restart the match after a collision between the shot-stopper and defender Ibrahima Konate.

Forest player Callum Hudson-Odoi was in possession of the ball at the time, meaning that the home side should have been allowed to restart the game instead.

Yet one minute and 50 seconds later, Nunez had the ball in the back of the net sparking wild scenes in the away end.

Has the PGMOL punished Tierney?

The PGMOL – the referees’ body – insists that Tierney’s appointment as VAR for Arsenal vs Brentford instead of taking the whistle for a Premier League game this weekend is not a punishment.

What has been said about it?

Former top-flight referee Mike Dean told Sky Sports: “Unfortunately for Paul, it is a mistake and it is a bad one. It leads to a goal, eventually. There has been a big fallout and rightly so.”