“The Law States” – Ex-PGMOL Chief explains why Crystal Palace’s late winner stood as fresh VAR ruling confirmed.
Liverpool were on the receiving end of a key VAR call after late drama against Crystal Palace.
A new VAR decision followed two dramatic late goals in Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Palace at Selhurst Park.
On Saturday, the Reds suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 2-1 in a thrilling match that ended with Eddie Nketiah scoring a decisive late goal for the hosts.
Liverpool thought they had rescued a point when Federico Chiesa netted a late equalizer, but VAR had to review the goal for a possible foul involving Mohamed Salah. After review, officials ruled there was no infringement, and the goal stood.
According to the Premier League Match Centre on X: “The referee’s decision was checked and upheld, with no clear evidence of Salah handling the ball during the buildup.”
However, just moments after Liverpool drew level, Nketiah struck again, with Marc Guehi providing the assist, sealing Palace’s victory.
There were several other contentious incidents during the game. Liverpool boss Arne Slot received a yellow card for leaving his technical area while disputing Ismaila Sarr’s earlier goal. Replays showed the corner leading to Sarr’s strike may have been wrongly awarded, as the final touch appeared to come from a Palace player.
Liverpool eventually equalized through Chiesa in the 87th minute after Ryan Gravenberch’s cross wasn’t cleared, allowing the Italian to fire home. It looked like another late Reds comeback — their seventh of the season — but Palace had the final say.
In the seventh minute of stoppage time, Nketiah scored the winner. The goal came after the allocated time, sparking Slot’s anger.
The former Arsenal striker’s first goal of the campaign arrived unusually late, even after most other Premier League fixtures had finished. A 10-minute delay earlier in the game — due to a medical emergency in the stands, flagged to the referee by Daniel Muñoz and Dominik Szoboszlai — had extended play.
Nketiah’s stoppage-time strike snapped Liverpool’s seven-match winning streak, with Palace once again proving a stumbling block for Slot’s side.
The 2-1 victory leaves Palace just three points behind Liverpool, while they remain the only unbeaten side in the league this season
