The video assistant referee raises controversy every week in the English Premier League, but how are decisions made and are they correct?
This season, we take a look at major events to examine and explain the process in relation to the VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.
All screen images credit: NBC
Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons in the elite squad, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at elite level, he has worked in the field of VAR in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationales and protocols that are introduced on a Premier League match day.
Judgment: Chris Kavanagh
our: Michael Oliver
incident: Virgil van Dijk’s header goal was disallowed for offside
time: 38 minutes
What happenedIn the 38th minute, Liverpool captain Van Dijk scored the lead goal with a header from a corner kick by Mohamed Salah, but his teammate Andrew Robertson was considered to be in an offside position and affected the vision of City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Therefore, the goal was disallowed by assistant referee Stuart Burt.
Virgil van Dijk’s potential equalizer was disallowed. Andrew Robertson was deemed to have tackled the goalkeeper from an offside position. pic.twitter.com/yUkYaiCWY6
– NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) November 9, 2025
It was the decision: VAR Oliver confirmed the referee’s offside call and no goal for Liverpool, with Robertson in an offside position and deemed to be making a clear move directly in front of the goalkeeper.
VAR technology review: The offside offense to influence the opponent’s point of view was a decision taken by Kavanagh on the pitch, and thus formed the starting point for this review. Robertson was clearly offside, but that in itself is not an offence. Oliver needed confirmation that, as described and judged by assistant referee Bert, Robertson was influencing Donnarumma’s ability to save the ball through his position and/or movement. The impact on the opponent is a personal decision and therefore there must be a clear error in judgment by the on-field team for an on-field review (OFR) to be recommended.
Judgment: This is a personal position and will certainly spark discussion and debate. You can create a case for any outcome in this case. Your considerations and process will include: how close the striker is to the flight of the ball, any distracting physical actions by the striker, and what effect his presence in the goal area will have on Donnarumma.
Given all the circumstances of this event, I feel that the exclusion of Van Dijk’s goal was a credible and understandable decision by the on-pitch refereeing team. However, the decision was subjective, and is unlikely to be overturned by VAR.
incident: Possible penalties; Giorgi Mamardashvili’s challenge over Jeremy Doku
time: 9 minutes
What happened: In the ninth minute, Doku appeared to be fouled by Mamardashvili when the Liverpool goalkeeper came out of his goal to challenge the City striker. Mamardashvili misjudged his challenge, slipped on the wet grass and collided with the left shoe of Doku, who then lost his balance and fell to the ground. Kavanagh did not initially award a penalty kick and allowed play to continue.
It was the decisionAfter reviewing the incident, Oliver recommended a possible penalty kick to Manchester City. After several replays of the incident, Kavanagh agreed with Oliver’s explanation and awarded a penalty for a foul challenge by the Liverpool goalkeeper on Doku.
VAR technology review: This was a quick and straightforward process for Oliver to determine what Mamardashvili had done wrong. While the contact was on the lower end of the scale in terms of force, it had a clear impact on Doku’s ability to maintain his balance and potentially shoot on goal. Oliver was right to recommend a field review, well supported by television evidence.
Judgment: This was a positive VAR intervention by Oliver and a right turnover by Kavanagh. It was difficult for Kavanagh to pick up the foul contact in real time given that it was the Liverpool goalkeeper’s knee that made minimal contact with Doku’s foot, but there was contact nonetheless.
