The referee body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has confirmed that Michael Salisbury, who was on Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duty during Fulham’s clash with Chelsea, has been replaced for Sunday’s highly anticipated Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Arsenal.
The decision comes after PGMOL admitted it was a mistake to disallow Fulham’s opening goal in their 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The controversial moment occurred in the 22nd minute when Josh King found the net, but the goal was overturned following a VAR review. Officials judged Rodrigo Muniz to have fouled Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah during the build-up, ruling that he stepped on the centre-back’s foot.
Fulham players expressed their frustration online, with Antonee Robinson posting on Instagram: “If they can check something for five minutes and still get it wrong, then what’s actually the point? The standard of officiating has been shocking in the Prem for too long now.”
Teammates Joachim Andersen and Ryan Sessegnon echoed his criticism of how VAR is being applied in the Premier League.
To compound Fulham’s frustration, Chelsea’s opening goal came nine minutes into a supposed eight minutes of first-half stoppage time, further angering manager Marco Silva, who branded the decision to disallow his team’s goal as “unbelievable.”
Referees’ chief Howard Webb personally contacted Fulham to admit the decision was wrong, clarifying that the incident did not meet the “clear and obvious error” threshold required for VAR intervention. Instead, it should have remained a referee’s on-field call.
As a result of the error, Salisbury has been replaced by John Brooks as VAR for Sunday’s Liverpool vs Arsenal showdown at Anfield.
This latest controversy adds to ongoing debates over VAR’s consistency and its growing impact on Premier League matches.
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