VAR to Liverpool’s rescue as they beat Wolves
LONDON: Liverpool needed the aid of VAR to re-establish their 13-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Wolves as a late Chelsea fightback inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Arsenal in Mikel Arteta’s first home game in charge.
Manchester City remain 14 points adrift of the runaway league leaders, but closed the gap on second-placed Leicester thanks to second-half goals from Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne to beat Sheffield United 2-0.
Sadio Mane scored the only goal of a controversial clash at Anfield as Liverpool extended their unbeaten run at home in the league to 50 games.
“If it would be easy to win that number of games a lot more teams would have done it,” said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
“It is not easy and you have to fight with all you have. Sometimes we have more and sometimes less and the boys do that all the time, so I couldn’t be more proud of what they did again.”
Mane’s strike three minutes before half-time was initially ruled out for a handball by Adam Lallana in the build-up, but a VAR review overturned referee Anthony Taylor’s on-field decision.
Moments later Wolves thought they had levelled when Pedro Nieto fired low past Alisson
Becker, but again the VAR review went against the visitors as the goal was ruled out for a fractional offside against Jonny.
“We feel massively hard done by, I can’t get my head around it. It is ridiculous,” said Wolves captain Connor Coady.
“For me it is not working. Some people are saying it gets the right decision but we’re the players on the pitch and it doesn’t feel right to me.”
Wolves had less than 48 hours to recover from a thrilling 3-2 victory over City on Friday, but still had plenty of chances to secure at least a point after the break as Becker denied Diogo Jota before Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore had shots deflected wide in the closing stages.
Just a second league defeat in 15 games means Wolves fall five points behind Chelsea in the fight for a top-four finish after Frank Lampard’s men staged a dramatic turnaround at the Emirates.
VAR also had a big role to play at the Etihad where City were again far from convincing but did enough to inflict a first away defeat in nearly a year on Sheffield United.
The Blades had a goal ruled out by a VAR review before half-time for another close offside call against Lys Mousset.
The Frenchman also wasted another good chance when oneon-one with Claudio Bravo and the visitors were punished by a characteristically clinical finish from Aguero as he rifled home De Bruyne’s through ball.
De Bruyne then doubled City’s advantage eight minutes from time as Pep Guardiola’s men bounced back from defeat at Molineux less than two days ago.
“After 48 hours we recovered for an incredible game after more than 80 minutes with 10 men, so compliments to the team,” said Guardiola.
“But compliments to Sheffield
United, they were amazing. This team is newly promoted and are eighth in the table, it is an incredible team.”
KLOPP UNHAPPY
“We’re in December and coming into January. Players standing around that long is not good,” Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp said. “I’d prefer if referees went to the screen because it’s directly next to us and never used, I don’t know exactly why.
“If it’s a tight offside with a small margin ... then I can understand it, but with the possible handball, I don’t understand it.
“It would have gone quicker (by going to the screen), but that’s how we do it in England and we cannot change that.”
Wolves coach Nuno Espirito Santo, who was booked for protesting the Wolves’ disallowed goal, said he was not a fan of VAR decisions being taken miles away from where matches are being played.
The VAR decisions are made at a hub in Stockley Park, south West London.
“I don’t like it,” he added. “A referee in that situation doesn’t feel the game like someone present at the match. It’s not for me to say how things can be improved, but I think it’s a pity.”
POGBA SET TO RETURN
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is set to return for their Premier League visit to Arsenal on New Year’s Day after sitting out Saturday’s 2-0 win over Burnley as a precaution, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said.
The France international returned from a long layoff injury in United’s 2-0 defeat by Watford on Dec. 22 and played 45 minutes in their 4-1 win over Newcastle United on Boxing Day.
Pogba felt pain in his ankle after the Newcastle game but Solskjaer said the 26-year-old would be ready for United’s next match.
“He’s been out for a long while and he didn’t feel right,” Solskjaer told reporters. “When you’ve been out for such a while it’s always going to take time until you’re 100%.
“He wasn’t ready (to face Burnley) because he’s not really done too many games and he’s had two in a few days and he just needed another day’s recovery.”