“Good use of VAR to overturn a quite clearly incorrect on-field decision”- Howard Webb claims Diogo Jota tried to ‘deceive’ Simon Hooper in fresh Liverpool penalty verdict
Howard Webb believes Diogo Jota should have received a yellow card for diving during the match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, even though he initially won a penalty for Liverpool.
Referee Simon Hooper awarded a penalty at Anfield on Sunday when Jota went down after a sliding challenge by Wolves’ Emmanuel Agbadou.
However, after a review by the video assistant referee (VAR), John Brooks and assistant VAR Adam Nunn decided to overturn the on-field decision.
The Premier League Match Centre explained: “VAR reviewed the referee’s penalty decision for the challenge by Agbadou on Jota and determined that any contact was not initiated by Agbadou.
Therefore, a review was recommended, and the referee reversed the decision, restarting play with a drop ball.”
Webb, the PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer, discussed the decision during the latest episode of Match Officials Mic’d Up. He stated: “This was a good use of VAR to correct a clearly wrong on-field decision.”
“Many people likely thought it was a penalty in real-time, and that’s certainly what the referee saw from pitch level,” Webb continued. “But VAR had the benefit of seeing the incident from a different angle and noticed that the defender passed the attacker before any contact occurred. It wasn’t a penalty, so the review was recommended.”
He praised the officials for focusing on correcting the crucial mistake, adding: “Our advice to them is that when reviewing the decision on the screen, it’s not just about overturning the on-field call but considering all aspects.
In this case, Diogo Jota’s actions were intended to deceive the referee, which is simulation, and a yellow card should have been given.”
