Ramsey’s offside and Newcastle’s penalty headline the VAR Review

 Ramsey’s offside and Newcastle’s penalty headline the VAR Review

Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made, and are they correct?

After each weekend we take a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.

Possible offside: Ramsey on winning goal

What happened: In the 41st minute, Jacob Ramsey scored the only goal of the game. There was a check for offside against the Aston Villa player.

VAR decision: No offside, goal stands.

VAR review: A strange situation for fans, because on the face of it few would have considered an offside offence. The initial attempt by Ollie Watkins was palmed onto the crossbar by Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, with the ball coming back out to Ramsey to score from close range.

Ramsey was undoubtedly in an offside position when Watkins headed the ball, but the goal stood because it was judged Mohammed Salisu deliberately played the ball with his head before it fell back to Ramsey.

But why did the review take a long time? This all comes down to what is considered a “deliberate play” of the ball, as redefined by football’s lawmakers, the IFAB, in the summer. It’s not as simple as Salisu merely touching the ball; he has to be in control of his actions.

The VAR, Paul Tierney, has a number of factors to consider to decide whether Salisu is indeed in control of the header, and thus resetting the offside phase and making Ramsey onside. One is whether the ball is sent off its natural trajectory, which it wasn’t. But more importantly, Salisu was not stretching or reaching for the ball, which would be a consideration for a lack of control; it’s for this reason Salisu was judged to have made a “deliberate play,” and Ramsey cannot be offside.

If Salisu had missed the ball, or if it had inadvertently hit him on the back before it bounced to Ramsey, the goal would have been disallowed for offside as the phase would not have reset.

VAR overturn: Penalty for handball against Lerma

What happened: In the 64th minute, Newcastle United‘s Kieran Trippier tried to cross the ball into the box. It bounced off the arm of AFC Bournemouth‘s Jefferson Lerma and went behind for a corner.

VAR decision: Penalty, handball by Lerma; scored by Alexander Isak.

VAR review: Trippier was immediately adamant that it should have been a penalty. The contact on Lerma’s arm was on the blind side of referee Craig Pawson, so it’s understandable he thought it should only be a corner (though the assistant referee was on that side of the pitch).

There will be questions over proximity, but the camera angle from behind clearly shows that Lerma moved his arm toward the path of the ball and created a barrier — key for the decision to award the spot kick and a correct one from the VAR, Stuart Attwell.

Penalty check: Sanchez foul on Justin

What happened: In just the fourth minute, referee Simon Hooper awarded Leicester a penalty for Davinson Sanchez‘s challenge on James Justin (watch here.)

VAR decision: Penalty stands.

VAR review: Andre Marriner checked that there was a foul by Sanchez, and also that it was inside the area. The contact on the Leicester City player came just inside the box, so referee Hooper’s decision to award the penalty was correct.

Although Youri Tielemans‘ first spot-kick attempt was saved by Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, he was off the line when the ball was struck, meaning Marriner was right to advise a retake. Second