The Premier League has clarified why Liverpool’s Diogo Jota was not booked for diving after a penalty decision was overturned by VAR during the second half at Anfield.
With Liverpool leading 2-0 against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Jota went down following a challenge from Emmanuel Agbadou, prompting referee Simon Hooper to award a penalty. However, after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor following VAR intervention, Hooper determined that the contact was insufficient for a foul and rescinded the penalty.
Despite this, Jota was not penalized for simulation, and play resumed with a drop ball instead of a free kick for Wolves. Some Wolves players were left confused by the decision.
The Premier League’s Match Centre later explained on X: “VAR checked the referee’s decision to award a penalty to Liverpool for Agbadou’s challenge on Jota and determined that any contact was not caused by Agbadou. Therefore, an on-field review was recommended. The referee overturned his original decision, and play resumed with a drop ball.”
This suggests that while the contact was not enough for a penalty, it was deemed sufficient to explain Jota’s fall, preventing a yellow card for simulation.
The incident proved significant as Wolves quickly responded with a goal from Matheus Cunha, reducing the deficit after earlier strikes from Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah. The result left Wolves just two points above the relegation zone.
