The Premier League has explained why VAR upheld the decision made by referee Samuel Barrott to award Southampton a penalty against Liverpool on Sunday.
Late in the first half, Robertson fouled Southampton’s Tyler Dibling, and after a brief pause, Barrott pointed to the spot. VAR reviewed the incident, as replays seemed to show the foul occurred just outside the 18-yard box.
However, after a detailed review, the VAR team concluded that Barrott’s decision was correct. The Premier League Match Centre later confirmed, “The referee’s penalty call for the challenge by Robertson on Dibling is checked and confirmed by VAR, as there was no conclusive evidence the foul occurred outside the penalty area.”
Robertson, certain the foul was outside the box, urged Barrott to check the monitor, but the decision stood, and Southampton’s Adam Armstrong scored the rebound after his initial penalty was saved by Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher.
Sky Sports’ Bill Leslie provided further context, stating, “Although the initial contact happened outside the box, there was no evidence that the contact ended before both players reached the penalty line.”
The first half finished 1-1 after Dominik Szoboszlai’s early goal for Liverpool and Armstrong’s equalizer, which came despite Southampton potentially being down to 10 men.
Former Liverpool player Adam Lallana, now with Southampton, received a yellow card for a tackle on Ryan Gravenberch but VAR did not recommend a review, as it wasn’t deemed a dangerous challenge.
Roy Keane commented on Lallana’s tackle, suggesting he was lucky to avoid a red card. “I think so. He’s not in control, not even looking at the ball.
I would have been sent off for that, 100%. And there would have been no complaints,” Keane said, adding that the officials may have overlooked it due to Lallana’s non-aggressive reputation.
Former Liverpool player John Aldridge also questioned the penalty decision, writing on X, “I’m pretty sure that WASN’T inside the area?”
