Liverpool VAR theories peddled by those with short memories

Crystal Palace were incensed that they weren't given a penalty in the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool despite a VAR check

Liverpool VAR theories peddled by those with short memories

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It probably speaks to the uneventful nature of Liverpool's 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace that plenty of the post-match chatter surrounding a penalty box incident that didn't cause too much of a stir inside the ground.

Liverpool ensured they went into the October international break top of the pile in the Premier League after Diogo Jota's early goal, dominating the first half before seeing off the Palace resistance in the second period with a minimum of fuss.

But if Arne Slot's side thought they had taken the three points and an early lead in the top flight without so much of a shred of controversy, they had another thing coming. Virgil van Dijk's grasp of Marc Guehi's arm late in the second half led to a major talking point and the old LiVARpool taunts being dusted off.

Slot dismissed claims Liverpool had got away with it in his post-match press conference in trademark style, but that didn't stop the debate about the incident, which began in earnest on TNT Sports commentary where Darren Fletcher seemingly brought it up at every opportunity, each replay a chance to show even more incredulity at the decision of the VAR officials not to refer referee Simon Hooper to the pitchside monitor.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner wasn't shy with his opinion that his side should have had a spot-kick after the match but during it, there wasn't any major protest from Palace players or supporters. Instead, it was merely a small flashpoint in a game played out with little incident as Liverpool took the points.

A glance on social media that evening, however, and the narrative had changed. The Premier League cartel were back at it, hording all the big decisions to themselves while the unfancied teams at the other end of the table - and Manchester United - were left begging for a break from the officials.

It wouldn't matter that Liverpool didn't even win a free-kick until the 55th minute of a match they had dominated possession of, Hooper and his colleagues had clearly pulled a fast one to keep the Reds at the summit for another week.

It was the first time this season that Liverpool have found themselves in the spotlight when it comes to refereeing, with the Reds navigating their previous six Premier League matches without much incident. A start contrast to last season when Liverpool, and their slightly more emotional boss, were in the thick of it most weeks.

And yet those with an axe to grind only expose their short memories.

Indeed, it was just over a year ago that the Premier League had been forced to release the audio of their VAR team as the 'good process' at Tottenham was exposed as anything but when Luis Diaz had a legitimate goal ruled out for offside. Mistakes don't come much bigger and it was a decision that changed the way VAR was implemented across the league as Howard Webb became more visible and processes were put in place to ensure it didn't happen again.

That was a horrendous call that may have prevented Liverpool from taking points that day in north London but according to ESPN, the Reds were one of just three teams, along with Newcastle and Arsenal, who weren't positively or negatively impacted by VAR last season.

Instead, Nottingham Forest and Fulham led the way, on the positive end of five overturns, with the likes of Man City and Everton also coming out on the right side of things. At the other end of the scale, Wolves saw a total of seven VAR calls go against them.

And yet this scale of who benefits most only masks the real issue when it comes to VAR. Surely supporters would prefer to see it used less frequently, rather than interfere for moments such as the one at Palace? If a closer lens is taken on penalty box pushing and shoving then penalties will be dished out on a far more regular basis. If that's your thing, then so be it. But then strap in for a lot of stoppages each week.

The whatabouteries, already so great within the game, become endless when players are punished for every grapple when defending a set piece.

The great call for consistency among referees is flawed. Human beings are anything but consistent, after all. Indeed, football supporters tend to be the least consistent of all when it comes to incidents concerning their own team. So it's understandable for Palace to protest but the rest of football might want to think twice about demanding action.

Because there's one thing most football fans can agree on and it's that VAR hasn't improved the game and the less it's needed, the better.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will simply ignore the noise and continue in the same fashion they've started this season. The Reds have collected 18 points from 21 available so far but that record will be put to the test in the coming weeks as the fixture list starts to become more challenging.

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