Bournemouth’s first-half goal in their game against Liverpool at Anfield should have been ruled out by VAR, according to former Premier League referee Peter Walton.
Callum Wilson handed the relegation threatened Cherries the lead after chasing down a long ball, feeding the ball out to the wing and then slotting home the resultant cross from Jefferson Lerma.
However, in the buildup to the goal, Wilson pushed Joe Gomez to ensure he won the ball but, despite VAR official Michael Oliver taking a look at the incident, the goal stood.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp was visibly furious with the decision and Walton, who refereed professionally for nearly 20 years, believes the goal should have been disallowed.
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Speaking on BT Sport, Walton said: “We know the threshold for the VAR is clear and obvious, but in this instance it as an upper-body foul – he has made no attempt to play the ball.
“So the threshold is brought down a shade and I think that was a clear and obvious push in the back, impeding Gomez's ability to control the ball and, therefore, should have been given as a foul.”
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However, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex-Liverpool full-back Stephen Warnock claimed Gomez was at fault for the goal and should have been able to deal with it regardless of the push.
“There was a push in the back, but I think Joe Gomez should have dealt with the situation better,” Warnock said. “It was the first attack that Bournemouth have had.
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“Lovely reverse ball from Philip Billing into Jefferson Lerma and a simple pass across the box to Callum Wilson. First attack first goal for Bournemouth.”
The controversial decision did not matter in the end though, with goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane earning Liverpool all three points and keeping Bournemouth in the bottom three.
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