Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has defended the VAR decision to rule out Mohamed Salah's goal for Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur, stating that Roberto Firmino's handball was deliberate.
Liverpool won 3-1 at Tottenham on Thursday night, ending a run of five league games without a win. The Reds thought they had scored a third goal when Salah fired home from close range, but a VAR review led to the goal being disallowed for a handball by Firmino in the build-up.
Referee Martin Atkinson, after consulting the pitchside monitor, ruled that Firmino had deliberately handled the ball while wrestling with Eric Dier. Many Liverpool fans argued that Dier had handled the ball first and that Firmino's contact was accidental.
Writing in the Mail, Clattenburg explained: 'Had Roberto Firmino accidentally handled the ball in the build-up, Mohamed Salah's goal would have stood. But what VAR Jonathan Moss suggested to referee Martin Atkinson was that the handball was deliberate. He sees how Firmino moves his arm towards the ball while he is wrestling with Eric Dier and it keeps it under control, before Liverpool go on to score.'
Clattenburg noted that a change by IFAB means a handball in the immediate build-up to a goal, accidental or not, would be disallowed, but only deliberate handballs are reviewed. He concluded: 'This fell into the category of deliberate. Overall VAR was used well in this game.'
The win moved Liverpool four points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, though they have played a game more.
