Today's Football

[Grahamjack]

Only as he is being body slammed to the floor

[RVclaret]

Was there not a handball in the Bowen incident?

After he’d been manhandled to the floor!

[Rileybobs]

I'd have to see it again, but generally when both players are tugging the others' shirts the refs won't penalise either. Not sure whether Bowen was pulling at the defenders' shirt?

[Goody1975]

Was there not a handball in the Bowen incident?

I think the ball hit the hand of Bowen after the foul by Ahmedhodzic (only saw the initial view of it)

[Silkyskills1]

Watched last 20 mins with no sound. Abysmal from officials and VAR. Booked Coufal when it should have been Souczek which resulted in Coufal getting sent off.
Latest trend now seems to be clattering goalkeepers and getting rewarded for it. It's a joke. Even worse right at the end another clear penalty to West Ham but by this time the referee just wanted to get off the pitch which he managed to do without requiring the assistance of VAR. A.sport dying on its feet for the paying spectator but top class fayre for the armchair pundits.

[TsarBomba]

Goal for Tella today for Leverkusen away at Leipzig. Leverkusen still undefeated this season.

[Goody1975]

VAR was Robert Jones

[ElectroClaret]

VAR was Robert Jones

Mr. Useless himself.

[Westleigh]

VAR was Robert Jones

Must be really cheesed off when he’s not strutted about on the pitch under the spotlight.

[jdrobbo]

After he’d been manhandled to the floor!

I was listening on the radio so haven’t seen

[jdrobbo]

I think the ball hit the hand of Bowen after the foul by Ahmedhodzic (only saw the initial view of it)

Cheers. Was listening to the radio

[claretblue]

Cheers. Was listening to the radio

so was VAR official - I think!

[kentonclaret]

Great team goal.

[ElectroClaret]

Liverpool winning.

[Kilson810]

Football has become so boring, all we talk about it referees and shocking decisions every week. The game needs to radically rethink how we approach officiating at the top levels.

[Rileybobs]

Football has become so boring, all we talk about it referees and shocking decisions every week. The game needs to radically rethink how we approach officiating at the top levels.

It's incredible how many games are also settled by dubious penalty decisions for infringements that don't warrant the inevitable punishment.

Isn't it >80% chance that a penalty is scored in the Premier League? It's almost a guaranteed goal, yet the punishment doesn't fit the crime. In today's first two televised games we have had results decided by injury time penalties, one for a handball (which was) which didn't come close to preventing a goal, and one for a clumsy goalkeeping error which again didn't prevent a goalscoring chance.

I'm not saying either of those decisions shouldn't have been penalties, just that 95% of a lot of matches are totally pointless as the games are so often decided on these random moments.

[ElectroClaret]

0-2

[Buxtonclaret]

Liverpool 2-0

[Bordeauxclaret]

Game was done but Liverpool scored on 79 mins, after a VAR check they kick off, Jones then decides to go down injured and goes off. Play restarts on 83 mins.

Ridiculous.

[dsr]

Was the Sheffield United penalty actually given for the collision between McBurnie and the keeper? If so why? Obviously the both went for the ball, both missed it, and crashed into each other - but where is the logic that says McBurnie had first dibs on the attempt and the keeper should have stood aside? How does the referee decide that the goalkeeper is at fault and the forward isn't?

And why can't we find a ref to give us a dodgy decision in the last seconds, when Sheffield United and Luton can? I realise that part of the point of VAR is to make matches more interesting by introducing a completely random element to the game of penalties, but why doesn't some of that randomness come our way?

[Vegas Claret]

Was the Sheffield United penalty actually given for the collision between McBurnie and the keeper? If so why? Obviously the both went for the ball, both missed it, and crashed into each other - but where is the logic that says McBurnie had first dibs on the attempt and the keeper should have stood aside? How does the referee decide that the goalkeeper is at fault and the forward isn't?

And why can't we find a ref to give us a dodgy decision in the last seconds, when Sheffield United and Luton can? I realise that part of the point of VAR is to make matches more interesting by introducing a completely random element to the game of penalties, but why doesn't some of that randomness come our way?

McBurnie won a penalty for throwing his elbow at the keeper - that's where we are at.

[dsr]

McBurnie won a penalty for throwing his elbow at the keeper - that's where we are at.

Perhaps we ought to be grateful that O'Shea wasn't sent off when McBurnie elbowed him twice!

[NewClaret]

McBurnie won a penalty for throwing his elbow at the keeper - that's where we are at.

Absolute crazy times. I do think there needs to be some sort of change - managers or captains challenges or something. The game is being ruined by the officiating at the moment.

[South West Claret.]

So Sheff U Equalised at the death, still below Burnley though.

[Kilson810]

It's incredible how many games are also settled by dubious penalty decisions for infringements that don't warrant the inevitable punishment.

Isn't it >80% chance that a penalty is scored in the Premier League? It's almost a guaranteed goal, yet the punishment doesn't fit the crime. In today's first two televised games we have had results decided by injury time penalties, one for a handball (which was) which didn't come close to preventing a goal, and one for a clumsy goalkeeping error which again didn't prevent a goalscoring chance.

I'm not saying either of those decisions shouldn't have been penalties, just that 95% of a lot of matches are totally pointless as the games are so often decided on these random moments.

Exactly, we sit through the entire game and it basically all boils down to a referee decision, not quality (or lack of it on the pitch). I thought west ham should have had a penalty at the end, but apparently you can rugby tackle players in the box now.

[NewClaret]

Liverpool did Bournemouth good and proper there. Makes our home result look decent.

Not looking forward to the away leg, but the small matter of City first

[Jellybean]

Goal for Tella today for Leverkusen away at Leipzig. Leverkusen still undefeated this season.

Delighted for him, even though I'm still gutted he's not ours. Everything crossed that Leverkusen can win the league, wouldn't that be something

[warksclaret]

The clubs somehow need to take a stance on VAR-its becoming a joke and half of MOTD is now ridiculing some strange decisions. I used to think that the league table at the end of the season did not lie. However the final standings in the PL this season will go to show the beneficiary clubs of VAR over 38 games

[beddie]

Mcburnie elbows the keeper and gets a penalty 🫣

Saw it last night, how they arrive at a penalty is baffling. It’s the usual McBurnie leading with his arm. So what’s the difference of that and Trafford against Luton. Webb has some explaining to do.

[Roosterbooster]

Saw it last night, how they arrive at a penalty is baffling. It’s the usual McBurnie leading with his arm. So what’s the difference of that and Trafford against Luton. Webb has some explaining to do.

I think they got 2 of the 3 penalty decisions wrong

The Ings penalty is pretty clear cut

The McBurnie one really worries me. I'm sure some will have seen the "guidance" relating to challenging goalkeepers on another thread, and this is exactly the situation where that guidance applies. Both keeper and attacker are challenging for the ball. The way it is written makes it fairly clear, I think, that the guidance is designed to allow attackers to fairly challenge goalkeepers for the ball when it's in the air to be won. It protects attackers more than goalkeepers. But it isn't intended to ignore all the other rules. Guidance doesn't negate the rules that it clarifies. McBurnie recklessly leads with his arm. And while it's not a clear red. It's certainly a foul. On the keeper. I can't work out what the ref saw on first viewing that made him think it was a penalty. But what really worries me, is that VAR seem to be doing everything they can to back up a referee's original decision now, especially regarding penalties or goals. They haven't, as far as I can make out, actually applied the actual rules. (I think it is very different to the Trafford incident as Adebayo was making no attempt to win the ball there).

The Bowen penalty shout was similar, in that most would see it as a clear penalty, but VAR have just gone with the on-field decision.

Red cards seem to be different, in that lots seem to be upgraded, rather than going off the on-field decision. I don't have any stats to back this up, but it is a general feeling. I felt before, that VAR did quite a bit to overturn goal/penalty decisions, even some quite marginal ones. But we seem to be heading to the other extreme now