VINDICATION FOR VAR AT EMIRATES AFTER HORROR SHOW SATURDAY

MARTIN ATKINSON controlled a thrilling North London derby with great experience and it was an excellent decision not to award Spurs a penalty when Harry Kane went down late on. Kane used his body and leg to initiate the contact with Arsenal defender Sokratis and it was not a penalty. VAR would have checked the incident but Atkinson’s on-field decision was correct. Should Kane have been booked for simulation? I would say not as there was contact. I also didn’t think there was anything in the Dani Ceballos-Dele Alli clash. And again no need for VAR to get involved. VAR was consulted on Arsenal’s disallowed third goal — and of course the assistant ref got the call spot on. PGMOL will be happy with the use of VAR after such a bad day on Saturday. VERDICT: OFFICIALS DID A GRAND JOB, MEANING VAR WAS HARDLY USED LEICSTER v BOURNEMOUTH LEICESTER midfielder Youri Tielemans should have been sent off for a nasty, studs-up challenge on Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson, which made contact high on the shin. At match speed, I can understand why referee Peter Bankes missed it. However, I was shocked that VAR official Martin Atkinson did not recommend a review or change the decision having seen replays. If PGMOL have set the bar too high for VAR intervention, then we are going to see more dangerous challenges such as this go unpunished — and that is a major concern. VERDICT: VAR GOT IT WRONG. NEWCASTLE v WATFORD NEWCASTLE’S equalising goal against Watford should have been disallowed after replays showed the ball made

contact with the hand of Isaac Hayden before being diverted into the path of scorer Fabian Schar. The incident was similar to Manchester City’s disallowed goal against Tottenham a fortnight ago, when Aymeric Laporte inadvertantly handled before Gabriel Jesus scored — and that was correctly ruled out under the new Law changes. It is my fear that, in trying to speed up the checking process, VAR has only looked at a potential offside and not the handball — and this is a worry going forward, as a clear infringement has been missed. VERDICT: VAR GOT IT WRONG. CRYSTAL PALACE v ASTON VILLA THE worst decision of the weekend came in Villa’s 1-0 defeat, when the visitors were denied a stoppagetime equaliser. The golden rule for referees is to allow a phase of play to be completed and, if a goal is scored, then a review takes place. Kevin Friend failed to adhere to this when he blew and cautioned Villa midfielder Jack Grealish for diving, just before Henri Lansbury scored. VAR official Andrew Madley could not intervene because Friend had already blown his whistle before the goal was scored — therefore preventing any review. Replays showed contact between Grealish and Palace defender Gary Cahill — which was not enough for a penalty — but Villa will feel very aggrieved that VAR was not able to review the situation, as Lansbury’s goal would have probably been allowed to stand.

VERDICT: REFEREE GOT IT WRONG