Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has defended the VAR intervention that disallowed a late Manchester City goal and saw Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai sent off in Sunday's fiery 2-1 victory for the hosts. The decision sparked widespread debate after City broke from a Liverpool corner in stoppage time, with Rayan Cherki's shot trickling towards an empty net.
Halsey, writing in The Sun, explained that referee Craig Pawson had no choice but to rule out the goal after reviewing the incident. 'Dominik Szoboszlai pulls Erling Haaland back but Craig waits to see if Haaland can still get to the ball. That doesn’t happen, so when Haaland then pulls Szoboszlai back, that is stopping the Liverpool player from preventing the ball from going into the net,' Halsey said.
The former official stressed that Pawson had not signalled advantage, meaning VAR John Brooks was correct to call for a review. 'Craig was correct in law. People will be saying, ‘Why didn’t he just give the goal?’ But Haaland’s pull-back stopped the Liverpool player from clearing the ball,' Halsey added.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville lambasted the call as a 'killjoy' that ruined 'one of the great moments of the season'. However, Haaland himself expressed sympathy for Szoboszlai while accepting the rules. 'I feel bad for him, he gets three games, just give the goal don't give the red card. But it's the rules so this is how it is,' the City striker told Sky Sports.
The decision ultimately preserved City's lead and left Liverpool frustrated, with the result tightening the race at the top of the Premier League table. Halsey's intervention has added fuel to the ongoing debate over VAR's role in the game.
