A new angle has reignited the debate over the decision to send Brentford midfielder Yehor Yarmoliuk off against Liverpool. The Ukrainian was shown a straight red card after a VAR review for a headbutt motion towards Reds' defender Jeremy Jacquet.
Before a corner was taken, the two players were tussling in the box before Yarmoliuk moved his head towards the Frenchman. The incident was initially missed by referee John Brooks but was reviewed by VAR.
VAR Review and Red Card Decision
After the review, the referee showed Yarmoliuk a red card for violent conduct, leaving Brentford with 10 men for all of the second half. Explaining the decision, the Premier League Match Centre shared a statement on social media saying: "After VAR review, the referee issued a red card to Yarmoliuk for violent conduct."
Referee Brooks said: "After review, the Brentford No.6 commits a headbutting action. The final decision is a red card."
Impact on the Match
That dismissal proved to be a pivotal moment in the match, with the home side holding a 1-0 advantage at that stage courtesy of Keane Lewis-Potter's header. After the interval, Andoni Iraola's men mounted a comeback. Strikes from Victor Munoz and Alexander Isak enabled them to turn the game around in the second period, while a second dismissal in added time, this time for Vitaly Janelt, appeared to confirm three points for Liverpool.
While it proved an important three points, following an inconsistent start to the campaign there has been a lot of debate over if the first red card was the right decision. Fresh angles from the match have led some supporters to believe that Ronald Araujo had instigated the headbutt incident by pushing into Yarmoliuk.
Foreshortening and the Correct Call
However, wider camera angles revealed that Araujo was nowhere near the midfielder, with VAR utilising cameras positioned behind the goal confirming there was no push from behind. The angle that appeared to suggest contact from behind is simply the result of foreshortening, with players in the background looking considerably closer to the incident than they actually were.
It shows that the officials made the correct call regarding the incident in isolation, though debate may still linger over whether the action itself truly merited a red card. Iraola himself appeared far from convinced by the decision during his post-match press conference, when he said: "I think it's a hard one. I have to say it. I've seen it in the screen, in the play I looked, but I don't know. What do you think? I don't know. I'm not sure if it was or not."
Liverpool now have another demanding week featuring Champions League action against Villarreal, followed by a significant showdown with high-flying Brighton.
