Arsenal’s initial goal versus Liverpool during Sunday’s match might have faced an offside concern linked to Bukayo Saka, yet the VAR system encountered a rare technical glitch, unable to perform its usual review.
The video assistant referee couldn’t evaluate Bukayo Saka’s potential offside involvement in Gabriel Martinelli’s early goal for Arsenal against Liverpool due to an unusual technical issue. Martinelli scored within a minute, set up by Martin Odegaard. The move commenced with Benjamin White passing to Saka on the right side, where Saka might have been in an offside position.
Saka, attempting to stay onside, was in motion toward the ball when White passed it, but the Hawk-Eye system, responsible for VAR technology, faced difficulties in decisively determining Saka’s position. According to ESPN, Saka wasn’t visible to any of Hawk-Eye’s five cameras, which are calibrated to assess offside calls.
Although the linesman refrained from raising the flag and the goal was validated by referee Michael Oliver, the officials couldn’t conclusively ascertain whether Saka had committed an offside infraction. Thus, the on-field ruling stood, despite Saka appearing very close to the last defender, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
This incident isn’t an isolated case this season. Juventus experienced a similar situation with Hawk-Eye missing Antonio Candreva’s position, resulting in a disallowed late winner against Salernitana due to an offside error affecting the entire Juventus team.
The possible offside linked to Saka wasn’t the most contentious decision in Arsenal’s 3-2 victory at the Emirates Stadium. Jurgen Klopp expressed his frustration in the post-match press conference due to two decisions that went against Liverpool.
Liverpool didn’t receive a penalty when the ball hit Gabriel’s hand in the penalty area, while they faced punishment when Gabriel Jesus went down after contact from Thiago. Saka scored the subsequent penalty, securing the win for Mikel Arteta’s side, propelling them to the top of the league and leaving Liverpool in 10th place, trailing by 14 points.
Klopp acknowledged the officiating decisions, stating that if both referees agree, that’s accepted as the truth, even if the situation may have suggested some ambiguity in calls. Despite some unfavorable outcomes, Klopp acknowledged areas where his team could have performed better in the match, considering it a good performance overall against a strong opponent despite not securing any points.