Howard Webb gives final James Tarkowski VAR red card verdict from Liverpool vs Everton
Everton captain James Tarkowski was fortunate not to receive a straight red card for his challenge on Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister in the Merseyside derby
PGMOL chief Howard Webb has admitted that VAR was used incorrectly during Liverpool's victory over Everton at Anfield. The Reds would win the game thanks to Diogo Jota's solitary goal in the second half.
However, the game was thrown into controversy in the first 45 minutes when James Tarkowski's challenge on Alexis Mac Allister was deemed to be a yellow card offence. It was reviewed by VAR who decided that the original decision by referee Sam Barrott was correct.
The consensus following the tackle was that the referee had got the call wrong and Webb, on the latest episode of Match officials Mic'd Up, explained why the error occurred. "This is a red-card challenge," Webb declared.
"It’s an error by the officials not to send Tarkowski off. From the outset with this show, we’ve committed to showing good examples of VAR use and also where we don't use it in the right way, and this was one of those examples.
"The referee recognises on the field that Tarkowski plays the ball and feels that the way he does so is reckless. The VAR then checks that on-field decision of a yellow card and puts too much focus on the fact that Tarkowski plays the ball.
"But Tarkowski makes a choice to play the ball in that way. Players have to consider their opponent’s safety, even when playing the ball.
"Tarkowski lunges into the challenge using excessive force and endangers Mac Allister’s safety. It should have been a red card."
After the match, Tarkowski admitted he had apologised to Mac Allister for the tackle which was accepted by the Argentine. Everton felt they were also hard done by with the officials at Anfield when it appeared that Luis Diaz was in an offside position in the build-up to the winner but Webb explained why the goal was allowed to stand.
"This all comes down to the point that just being in an offside position, which Luis Diaz is, is not in itself sufficient to be penalised," he added. "It's all about what you do whilst in that position and you have to do one of the things to be penalised for offside interfering with an opponent.
"We don't see Luis Diaz do any of these things whilst in the offside position, he just stands there. Now you can feel a little bit sorry for Tarkowski here because he stretches out to stop the ball going through to Luis Diaz, but that ship sails some time ago, whereby if you're just in that offside position and don't do anything behind a defender you won't be penalised.
"And that's what we see in this situation here. You hear the VAR talking about 'was there a challenge?' There wasn't.
"He wasn't challenging. He was standing there and that's why they correctly allowed this goal to stand."
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