Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has criticized referee Paul Tierney and VAR Simon Hooper for their decisions to disallow two of Liverpool’s goals in their recent match against Burnley. Clattenburg believes that only one of the disallowed goals was the correct decision.
During the match, Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott both had goals ruled out. Gakpo’s goal was disallowed due to a supposed foul from Darwin Nunez on Charlie Taylor, despite little evidence of a foul. Elliott’s goal was disallowed due to an offside from Mohamed Salah, even though Salah was pushed into an offside position by Jordan Beyer.
Clattenburg praised Tierney for his overall performance in the game but disagreed with the decision to disallow Gakpo’s goal. He pointed out that there was no clear contact from Nunez and believed that the best decision would have been to play on and allow the goal. Clattenburg also criticized the VAR for not overturning the decision.
Regarding Elliott’s goal, Clattenburg acknowledged that Salah was in an offside position and was pushed there, but he understood why the referee chose to disallow the goal based on the laws of the game.
Clattenburg’s comments highlight the controversy surrounding these decisions and the subjective nature of VAR. He believes that there was not enough evidence to disallow Gakpo’s goal and that the decision to disallow Elliott’s goal was more understandable based on the offside position.
Overall, Clattenburg’s analysis provides insight into the referee’s perspective and raises questions about the consistency and effectiveness of VAR in making these crucial decisions.