In Sunday’s Community Shield final at Wembley, Crystal Palace twice battled back from behind to take Liverpool to a penalty shootout — eventually winning thanks to goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s two crucial saves.
Liverpool made an early breakthrough when new signings Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike linked up, with Ekitike’s low strike finding the far corner. Palace responded through Jean-Philippe Mateta’s spot-kick, before a bizarre Jeremie Frimpong goal restored the Reds’ lead. In the closing stages, Ismaila Sarr levelled again to set up a tense finale and, ultimately, penalties.
The match ended in controversy, however, after Palace appeals for a last-minute penalty were waved away. Alexis Mac Allister appeared to handle the ball inside the box, but VAR chose not to intervene.
Keith Hackett, former head of the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL), criticised the decision:
> “Mac Allister’s hand moved toward the ball — that’s an offence and should have been a penalty. I don’t understand why VAR didn’t step in and advise the referee to award it.”
Others defended the call, suggesting Mac Allister’s touch actually allowed Sarr to get a shot away, which was then blocked by Milos Kerkez. They also pointed out that the midfielder was not looking at the ball when contact occurred.
VAR specialists later explained the ruling, citing Premier League guidelines for 2024/25 that account for natural arm positions, especially when a player is jumping. According to them, Mac Allister’s arm was behind his body and not in an unnatural position, which meant no penalty was warranted.
Leave a Reply