The video assistant referee causes controversy every week, whether it be the Premier League, Champions League or FA Cup, but how are those decisions made and are they correct? For the 2026-27 season, we are taking a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process in terms of both VAR protocol and the laws of the game. Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship.

Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool Referee: Stuart Attwell VAR: John Brooks: 90 + 6 mins Incident: Penalty awarded to Liverpool for a challenge by Joe Hall on Mohamed Salah. What happened: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah charged into the Manchester United penalty area late into the game, and Joe Hall made a clumsy challenge bringing the Liverpool player to the ground. Referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot for a late penalty for the Reds.

VAR decision and communications: The referee's call of penalty for the challenge by Joe Hall on Mohamed Salah was checked and confirmed by VAR. The referee: "He doesn't play the ball. He makes clear contact." VAR: "It's knee into thigh contact. Confirming the on-field decision of penalty." Verdict: This was a correct decision made by referee Stuart Attwell and his assistant, and a decision I felt was clear in real-time. In this type of situation, with an attacker moving into the penalty area at speed with the ball under control, any challenge by a defender must successfully play the ball or they run a very high risk of committing a foul. Hall was naïve to make his clumsy challenge in the manner he did, and Mohamed Salah was too clever for the Manchester United defender. This was a clear foul by Joe Hall, and a penalty kick a correct outcome. While it may feel to Manchester United fans that Liverpool were bailed out and gifted a draw after middling performance, Hall's foul was needless and to blame for Liverpool equalizing.