Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has argued in favor of changing the rules because he thinks that by giving Manchester City a penalty in their 4–4 tie with Chelsea, VAR “stitched up” Anthony Taylor. Chelsea and City played a fantastic match for ninety minutes at Stamford Bridge, one that might quickly become a Premier League classic.
In this thrilling game filled with activity, both sides attacked from the start, but there was drama all along the way. The most contentious moment was in the first half when VAR supported Taylor’s judgment to give City a penalty kick for Marc Cucurella’s foul on Erling Haaland in the area.
While Cucurella’s actions as the ball was whipped into the box appeared to be the focus of VAR, replays appeared to show that both players were pulling at each other’s shirts. VAR confirmed the on-field decision after Taylor signaled the spot, and Haaland converted the penalty kick to give City the advantage.
Hackett claims that the ruling was upheld because the VAR official did not consider the error to be “clear and obvious.” The 79-year-old, meanwhile, thinks that clause ought to be removed because it makes it impossible to reverse some choices.
In a Telegraph piece, he stated, “One of the best referees in the country, Taylor, was decisive in pointing to the spot without hesitation, but I think he needed another look.” This is where I think the VAR gets troublesome.
Taylor saw Cucurella foul, but it’s unclear what he saw from his view point—it’s possible that he missed Haaland’s contact. The VAR ought to have told Taylor that he needed another look at what happened.
