play2:19How can Arne Slot fix Liverpool’s Premier League form?Gabriele Marcotti and Stewart Robson discuss how Arne Slot can turn around Liverpool’s bad form after another defeat in the Premier League.
play1:02Slot admits he’s surprised by extent of Liverpool’s drop offArne Slot speaks after Liverpool’s fourth consecutive defeat in the Premier League.
Michallik: Chelsea were chaotic in loss vs. Sunderland (1:37)Janusz Michallik reacts to Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Sunderland in the Premier League. (1:37)
How can Arne Slot fix Liverpool’s Premier League form?Gabriele Marcotti and Stewart Robson discuss how Arne Slot can turn around Liverpool’s bad form after another defeat in the Premier League.
Gabriele Marcotti and Stewart Robson discuss how Arne Slot can turn around Liverpool’s bad form after another defeat in the Premier League.
Slot admits he’s surprised by extent of Liverpool’s drop offArne Slot speaks after Liverpool’s fourth consecutive defeat in the Premier League.
Andy Davies, Special to ESPNOct 27, 2025, 08:00 AM ET
Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made and are they correct?
Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale and protocols that are delivered on a Premier League matchday.
Referee: Andy Madley VAR: Craig Pawson Incident: Possible offside offence in Sunderland’s winning goal Time: 90+3 minutes
What happened: Sunderland scored a late winner at Stamford Bridge, with the goal creating some debate as Lutsharel Geertruida was stood in an offside position, directly between goal-scorer Chemsdine Talbi and Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.
VAR decision: VAR’s review process in this situation was to ascertain, firstly, whether Geertruida was in an offside position when the ball was played and if yes, was he interfering with his opponents’ line of vision, or impacting his ability to save the ball?
Verdict: There were unusual circumstances in this incident, given the Sunderland attacker’s position directly behind James at the point the ball was played by Talbi. This was a correct interpretation of Law 11 (Offside) by both the on-field referee and confirmed by the VAR. This type of situation always creates debate, which is understandable. However, the game does not want to see goals disallowed for this type of scenario.
How can Arne Slot fix Liverpool’s Premier League form?
Slot admits he’s surprised by extent of Liverpool’s drop off
Arne Slot speaks after Liverpool’s fourth consecutive defeat in the Premier League.
VAR review: This decision was factual as opposed to subjective, and therefore an on-field review was not required and information was fed directly into the referee.
Michallik: Chelsea were chaotic in loss vs. Sunderland (1:37)Janusz Michallik reacts to Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Sunderland in the Premier League. (1:37)
SUNDERLAND UPSET CHELSEA AT STAMFORD BRIDGE. Chemsdine Talbi finishes off the lovely counter attack to secure a famous comeback win for Sunderland. pic.twitter.com/aQY3GpGbYv
A foul on Virgil van Dijk was initially ruled outside the box, but VAR intervened to award Brentford a penalty, which Igor Thiago converted to make the score 3-1. pic.twitter.com/rMY0tqGn4y
– VAR review: Should Man United have had a penalty vs. Brighton?
Referee: Simon Hooper (1st half), Tim Robinson (2nd half) VAR: Chris Kavanagh Incident: Possible penalty; Nathan Collins challenge on Cody Gakpo Time: 44 minutes
Incident: Free kick award, overturned to a penalty kick. Time: 56 minutes
Verdict: A positive and factual overturn by the VAR.
VAR review: With Geetruida clearly standing in an offside position, and in the Chelsea goalkeeper’s line of vision, VAR’s review would have centered around the position of Chelsea defender Reece James in relation to the Sunderland attacker. Referee Madley, who had moved into the correct position to make a judgment, was comfortable that Geetruida was clearly positioned directly behind James, therefore negating any impact on the goalkeeper’s line of vision, and that no offside offence had therefore been committed. VAR would have used a number of angles, using a still picture on each to confirm Madley’s interpretation of the situation.
Janusz Michallik reacts to Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Sunderland in the Premier League. (1:37)