A former Premier League referee has launched a strong criticism of VAR following Liverpool’s denied penalty appeal in their clash against Chelsea — comparing it to a similar incident where Galatasaray were awarded a spot-kick against the Reds.The ex-official admitted he was “utterly shocked” by the inconsistency, pointing out that what was considered a foul in Europe was seemingly ignored in the Premier League.The controversy erupted late in the first half at Stamford Bridge when Alejandro Garnacho went down after contact with Dominik Szoboszlai. Despite loud appeals from Chelsea players and fans, referee Anthony Taylor waved play on.VAR reviewed the situation but upheld Taylor’s decision, concluding that the contact from Szoboszlai was “minimal” and not enough to warrant a penalty — a stance later confirmed by the Premier League Match Centre in an official statement on X (formerly Twitter).The explanation read:> “The referee’s on-field decision of no penalty was reviewed and confirmed by VAR, as the contact from Szoboszlai on Garnacho was deemed slight.”Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was left fuming and received a yellow card after heated exchanges with Liverpool’s bench over the call.The decision came as a relief for Liverpool, who have endured a rough patch following back-to-back losses to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.Head coach Arne Slot made several adjustments to his starting lineup, including a debut for Giorgi Mamardashvili, who replaced the injured Alisson Becker. Star midfielder Florian Wirtz began the game on the bench but was introduced at halftime for Conor Bradley after a tactical reshuffle.Explaining his rotation choices before kickoff, Slot said:> “We’re managing a packed schedule. Like every top team, we sometimes rotate players based on the style of our opponents. You can’t compare facing Crystal Palace to facing Chelsea — each game requires a different approach.”
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