The VAR Review: Should Arsenal's penalty have been overturned? Plus, Man United's spot-kick escape

Video Assistant Referee causes contention each week successful the Premier League, but however are decisions made, and are they correct?

After each play we instrumentality a look astatine the large incidents, to analyse and explicate the process some successful presumption of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.

In this week's VAR Review: Should Arsenal's punishment against West Ham person been cancelled? What happened with Sunderland's overturned spot footwear astatine Manchester United? And wherefore didn't Alexander Isak triumph a punishment for Liverpool astatine Chelsea?

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Possible punishment overturn: Position of foul by Diouf connected Timber

What happened: Arsenal were awarded a punishment successful the 67th infinitesimal erstwhile Jurriën Timber raced onto a walk and was brought down connected the borderline of the country by El Hadji Malick Diouf. Referee John Brooks pointed to the spot, and it was checked by the VAR, Michael Oliver.

VAR decision: Penalty stands, scored by Bukayo Saka.

VAR review: There's nary uncertainty this was a foul by Diouf, who clambered implicit the backmost of the Arsenal player. The query was astir wherever it took place, with some players falling to the crushed wrong the area.

The referee and the VAR are looking for the constituent of interaction that causes the foul. So, it is imaginable for interaction to statesman extracurricular the area, and the foul hap inside. This isn't a foul continuing into the area, it's the foul itself happening wrong it. It's antithetic to holding, which is the lone offence which tin commencement extracurricular the box, proceed into it, and beryllium a penalty.

In December 2020, Southamptonwere awarded a VAR punishment against Brighton & Hove Albion erstwhile determination was archetypal interaction betwixt Solly March and Kyle Walker-Peters extracurricular the area, but the foul was judged to person taken spot inside. (watch here)

So, successful Saturday's case, the VAR agreed that the archetypal interaction betwixt Diouf and Timber extracurricular the container wasn't a foul, and it came connected the enactment oregon inside.

Verdict: This would beryllium considered a factual overturn, truthful the VAR unsocial would marque the telephone and the referee wouldn't beryllium sent to the monitor. Yet different than situations determined by semi-automated offside technology, there's nary determination which is genuinely factual. The VAR is inactive looking astatine TV grounds and making a subjective judgement: Where did the foul instrumentality place? Was it handball by the extremity scorer? Did the shot spell retired of play? The information that antithetic VARs could scope opposing judgements makes it subjective.

There's a precise beardown statement that Diouf does foul Timber earlier the 2 players scope the box. The West Ham United subordinate is starting to ascent implicit his hostile earlier they get to the line, and it truly should person been a...