Referee John Brooks found himself at the center of controversy during Sunday’s Premier League showdown between Liverpool and Chelsea when he initially awarded a penalty to Liverpool.
The decision came after a collision between Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones. Brooks believed that Sanchez had fouled Jones, leading him to point to the penalty spot.
However, the call was soon reconsidered, as VAR intervened and advised Brooks to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
After reviewing the footage, Brooks reversed his original decision.
It became clear that Sanchez had not committed a foul on Jones, and the penalty was revoked.
The Premier League later issued an explanation via their Match Centre X account, stating that while the referee had initially awarded a penalty for what appeared to be a foul, VAR had shown that the contact was not sufficient to justify the call.
This wasn’t the only controversial penalty decision of the match. Earlier on, Liverpool had been awarded another penalty after Levi Colwill was deemed to have fouled Curtis Jones inside the box.
On this occasion, VAR did not intervene, as the decision was straightforward.
Mohamed Salah, who had previously been involved in a separate penalty appeal that was turned down, stepped up to convert the spot-kick, giving Liverpool the lead.
The intensity of the match escalated when Chelsea believed they were unfairly denied a penalty.
A challenge by Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold on Jadon Sancho inside the box had Chelsea players and fans calling for a foul.
However, to their frustration, VAR did not intervene, and no penalty was awarded to Chelsea, denying them an opportunity to equalize.
These series of penalty decisions sparked significant reactions from both sets of fans.
Liverpool supporters were pleased with their team’s ability to take advantage of the penalty they were awarded but were left wondering if the second penalty could have helped secure a more comfortable lead.
On the other hand, Chelsea fans were furious with the officiating, feeling their team had been wronged twice—once with the reversed penalty for Liverpool and again with their own appeal that went unanswered.
The controversial calls reignited the debate over the consistency of VAR in the Premier League.
While VAR is designed to assist referees in making accurate decisions, many fans and pundits have raised concerns about its transparency and reliability.
Sunday’s match highlighted the difficulties of balancing human judgment with technological input, as both teams left the field feeling aggrieved by the refereeing decisions.
This match demonstrated that VAR remains a divisive tool in football, capable of altering the outcome of games with just a few seconds of review.
Although its purpose is to ensure fairness, the technology continues to face scrutiny, especially when critical moments unfold.
In the aftermath, both Liverpool and Chelsea felt they had been treated unfairly, ensuring that the match will be remembered for its officiating controversies long after the final whistle.
