Peter Drury revealed the VAR officials’ verdict on the controversial tackle by Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku on Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister in the dying minutes of the game. The match ended in a stalemate, but Mac Allister and his teammates were furious that they did not get a penalty for a high challenge.
Jeremy Doku seemed to touch the ball first, but then his boot landed on the chest of the Liverpool midfielder. VAR reviewed the incident, but they concluded that there was not enough evidence to overturn the referee’s decision of no penalty.
This is likely to spark a lot of debate after the game, especially in a game with such narrow margins. If Liverpool had been given a penalty in the last moments, they could have gained an edge in the title race if they had scored from the spot.
Peter Drury, who was commentating on the game for Sky Sports, disclosed what the VAR officials said when Liverpool appealed for a penalty.
Peter Drury shares what the VAR officials said when Liverpool demanded a penalty late on
Drury simply relayed the VAR’s message, suggesting there was no reason to overturn the tight call.
He said: “Word from the VAR, Doku played it in a reasonable position.”
The opinions of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola on the penalty decision will be interesting to hear.
Pep might not have expected a penalty to be given, but Klopp could have a different view.
The Liverpool manager would have liked Luis Diaz to score the winner, but he might feel that his team was denied a chance late on.
It was a controversial call, and the discussion will likely go on for a while.
Peter Drury and Gary Neville seemed to think that City was in trouble when they saw the incident live, but VAR decided that there was no foul on the Liverpool midfielder.
It was a decision that split opinions, and the fans’ preferences in the title race might influence their judgment.
However, Mike Dean also spotted something extraordinary that Darwin Nunez did in today’s game.