Liverpool drew Chelsea at home, in a game where VAR stole the show rather than the talent on the pitch.
In what was a truly entertaining first-half between two heavyweight’s of the Premier League, Anthony Taylor used his Referee Review Area (RRA) to review a handball offence in question.
A furious effort by Chelsea players to get back and deal with a stray ball that pinged in and out of the 6-yard-box, saw the Blues protect their one-nil lead - after Kai Havertz put them in front. But, a handball by Reece James was immediately put under the spotlight.
Watching the incident back Reece James standing in front of the goal line lifts his left foot up to defend a ball in by Diego Jota right in front of him. The ball hits his thigh and deflects onto his lower arm.
The law states that handling the ball is an offence “immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental.” After reviewing the incident in the RRA, Anthony Taylor awarded a penalty and a straight card to Reece James.
Under the rules, Anthony Taylor made the correct decision as the rules state, “where a player denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by a handball offence the player is sent off wherever the offence occurs.”
The difference between intentional and unintentional handballs has long been a frustrating topic since Video Assistant Refereeing (VAR) was introduced to the Premier League last season.
No new system is going to be perfect and there will inevitably be issues that need to be ironed out. The problem with the rules is that they currently are a double whammy in terms of punishment for the handball offence - where goal-scoring opportunities are concerned.
No one is contesting that the penalty shouldn’t have been awarded - however, the red card was like pulling the Jenga piece that brought the entire match crashing down. Not for Chelsea only, but from a football perspective too.
It’s like going to watch an oscar-nominated movie, only to have someone kicking your seat for the entire second half. It overshadowed a match between two equal sides, with little to referee before the incident. The sending-off inevitably broke up the flow of the game and cut the blockbuster short.
Another issue is how do you measure intention. A lot of people have said that James moves his arm towards the ball, but it looks like he’s having to balance using his arm as momentarily his foot leaves the ground - to block the shot from Jota.
Isn’t that a natural movement the human body makes? It’s hard for referees too, as they can only follow the rules put to them and how do you police the nuanced lines between intention and body movements that are going to differ from player to player - person to person.
What riled up fans more is the coverage showing Taylor watch the incident for a split few seconds in the RRA, settling his decision based on a still frame after the video replay stopped.
Fans and critics have both in the past called for match-officials to be mic up to provide clarity on their decision-making which we can all hear. It wouldn't be a bad idea in this case where the incidents are open to interpretation, hearing the referees would set the record straight.
Whether James intended for the ball to his arm or not per the rules it impeded a goal-scoring opportunity. It’s hard to wrap your head around a handball rule which doesn’t take intention into account and follow through to another law which is punishment gone too far.
Discussing VAR can be frustrating and exhausting all at the same time. Refining the rules to better football should always be a priority though. In this case, it policed the game to the point where it was unenjoyable to watch.
What do you think about the current handball rules? Follow our new Fan Brands Writer Renuka Odedra on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
