VAR from Chelsea-Fulham taken off duties for Liverpool-Arsenal as PGMOL acknowledges error made

Michael Salisbury, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) from Chelsea’s win over Fulham, has been taken off duties for Liverpool’s game against Arsenal on Sunday.

Salisbury was at the centre of a controversial disallowed goal for Fulham during Saturday’s game in London, where Josh King’s effort was ruled out for a foul by Rodrigo Muniz on Trevoh Chalobah earlier in the passage of play.

On-field referee Rob Jones was told to review the footage by Salisbury. The review found that Muniz had made contact with Chalobah while attempting to screen the ball, in the build-up to the goal. “After review, Fulham number nine (Muniz) commits a careless challenge, stands on the foot of the Chelsea defender, therefore we disallow the goal and we restart with a Chelsea free kick. There would be no further action,” Jones announced at Stamford Bridge.

Sources close to Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) — the body which oversees refereeing in England — have acknowledged an error was made in that passage — that there should not have been a VAR intervention — and Salisbury’s removal from Sunday’s game at Anfield reflects this. PGMOL chief Howard Webb also contacted Fulham later on Saturday regarding the incident.

King’s disallowed goal, which would have been the 18-year-old’s first for Fulham, came with the score goalless in the first half. Chelsea took the lead in first-half added time via Joao Pedro, with Enzo Fernandez converting a penalty in the second period to make it 2-0.

Liverpool face Arsenal at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon and will have John Brooks as the VAR instead of Salisbury.

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