Big Drama: VAR Changed Hours Before Liverpool-Arsenal Game Due To Error At Fulham

Last Updated:August 31, 2025, 18:50 IST

Michael Salisbury has been dropped as VAR for Liverpool vs Arsenal after PGMOL admitted his error in disallowing Josh King's goal for Fulham against Chelsea.

VAR had ruled out Josh King's goal against Chelsea. (PC: AFP)

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Michael Salisbury has been dropped ahead of the high-profile Sunday clash between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield after the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the private entity responsible for refereeing in the Premier League, admitted his mistake against Fulham on Saturday.

He’ll reportedly be replaced by John Brooks at Merseyside. PGMOL chief Howard Webb is said to have contacted Fulham directly over Salisbury’s mistake in denying academy youngster Josh King’s fabulous goal away to rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. King was through on goal after being set up by striker Roberto Muniz, who spun away from Trevoh Chalobah, and passed into the midfield for Sander Berge to break the Chelsea backline.

After a darting run, King cut inside from his marker to finish on the near post. However, soon after the 18-year-old had finished celebrating his first goal, Salisbury on VAR intervened and showed that Muniz had stepped on Chalobah’s foot, calling it a ‘reckless’ challenge and thus a foul in the buildup.

Now, as per reports in the English media, PGMOL believes it did not think the incident met the ‘high bar’ required for intervention and was not a clear and obvious error, and acknowledged that the ‘referee’s call’ (who had allowed the goal) should have stood.

The decision had caused a lot of frustration from fans online, especially because Fulham were dominating in the first half. To add more salt to Fulham’s wounds, the ruled-out goal meant the time wasted had to be compensated with eight minutes of extra time in the half. Chelsea converted a corner at the stroke of its end with a Joao Pedro header and went on to win the game 2-0, with the penalty for the second goal also being awarded rather controversially.

“To disallow a goal like that is unbelievable," Fulham coach Marco Silva said later. “Unbelievable. We have all the meetings with the people in charge; we try to see their direction. One of the main things was: ‘VAR is not here to referee the game.’ I would prefer to say nothing more as I will be punished. I want to be on the bench for the next game, I don’t want to pay fines. But it has been difficult with so many decisions against us at the start of the season."

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First Published:

August 31, 2025, 18:50 IST

News sports Big Drama: VAR Changed Hours Before Liverpool-Arsenal Game Due To Error At Fulham

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