November 10th 2024.
In a highly anticipated match between VAR and Aston Villa, it was VAR who ultimately came out on top. The controversial technology was at the center of attention during Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Villa, with the visitors feeling hard done by a denied penalty call.
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen was left "astonished" by VAR's lack of intervention in awarding Villa a penalty. Despite goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah securing the win for Liverpool, the focus remained on the missed call and the impact it had on the game.
It was during a crucial moment in the match, with the score at 1-0, that Villa believed they were denied a clear penalty. Conor Bradley's pull on Pau Torres inside the Liverpool area went unchecked by referee David Coote, even after a VAR review. Owen was adamant that the call should have gone in Villa's favor.
"It's a penalty, you can't do that," Owen expressed to Premier League Productions. "There's just a blatant pull, Pau Torres is there at the front post, gets dragged out of that area with a shirt pull."
He continued, "If the ball goes to the back post and floats over everybody, then I think turn a blind eye to that, didn't affect the play. But that is a blatant pull. I'm astonished, once that went to VAR, astonished they didn't give a penalty."
Owen firmly believed that there was no room for debate in the situation, stating, "I think that's a stonewall penalty, personally. I don't think there's any debate in that, he literally pulls him out. It doesn't matter if he's pulling him for one minute or one second, he drags him out of it."
Villa manager Unai Emery also shared his frustration with the missed call, stating, "I only watched the Pau Torres action. With VAR, for me it was clearly a penalty because he pulled the shirt of Pau Torres."
He went on to express his confusion with the inconsistent use of VAR in the Premier League, saying, "I know that in Europe this is a penalty, but here in England they want to use VAR... I don't know exactly where. In this situation it was clear."
Emery acknowledged the impact the missed call had on the game, saying, "It was a very important moment in the game because if we could have the chance to shoot the penalty, maybe the match would have been different."
Despite the disappointing result, Emery remained optimistic and confident in his team's ability to bounce back. "I accept the result and the referee's decision," he stated. "I don't agree, but with the players, I am confident we will recover and find our way for the season."
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