Michael Oliver’s revealing interview
MICHAEL OLIVER found himself at the centre of one of the biggest VAR controversies of the season. He was the on-field official when Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk’s season was ended by a shocking challenge by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. VAR official David Coote deliberated for so long on whether Van Dijk had been in an offside position that Pickford’s challenge went unpunished, which led to Liverpool making an official request for the Premier League to review their use of VAR. For the first time, Oliver reveals what it was like to be at the heart of the decision and explains what went wrong.
1
FABINHO plays the ball to the back post towards Van Dijk. Oliver: ‘It was a big game. Both teams were flying. The assistant has given offside and there is the delay in the flag, as we have had this season. Jordan then comes out to Virgil.’
2
PICKFORD takes out the Liverpool defender but Oliver blows for offside after seeing the assistant referee’s flag. Oliver: ‘The thought initially was, “It can’t be a penalty because it’s offside so we need to check the offside first”. I think I said to the VAR, “If it’s not offside, I’m going to give a penalty”. I have watched it back so many times. I genuinely don’t think Pickford has done anything apart from try to spread himself but he did it the wrong way, as the injury has shown.’
3
DAVID COOTE, the VAR, spends over a minute on the offside decision, drawing lines, before deciding that Van Dijk was marginally beyond the last defender. The Pickford challenge is then not looked at. Oliver: ‘We have all, myself included, not thought about the challenge as much as we should have done. We could still have given offside and sent Pickford off. What I was surprised about looking at it afterwards was that nothing was expected on-field in terms of a red card. None of the players were asking for that. ‘We got sucked too much into going step by step as opposed to thinking of the bigger process, which was considering the challenge as well and not just the fact it can’t be a penalty. We should have restarted with the offside, as we did, but with a different punishment for Jordan Pickford.’