The Premier League has issued a VAR explanation following Erling Haaland’s penalty miss.
The Manchester City vs. Liverpool clash was marked by controversy after Giorgi Mamardashvili brought down Jeremy Doku, leading to a penalty for City. The Premier League has now clarified why the spot-kick was awarded.
According to the league, Doku was indeed fouled, which justified the decision to give Manchester City a penalty at the Etihad Stadium.
The incident occurred in the first half, when Liverpool goalkeeper Mamardashvili collided with Doku. Referee Chris Kavanagh initially waved play on but changed his decision after consulting the VAR monitor.
Shortly after, the Premier League released a statement saying: “After review, the referee has overturned the original no-penalty decision. The goalkeeper commits a foul on the attacker; the final decision is a penalty.”
Despite this clarification, BBC pundit Danny Murphy remained unconvinced, arguing that the contact from the goalkeeper was not strong enough. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk also showed his frustration, clapping sarcastically at the referee.
Haaland entered the match in excellent form, having scored 18 goals in 14 games for City across all competitions.
Mamardashvili, meanwhile, has faced mixed reviews since joining Liverpool. However, former striker Dion Dublin praised the keeper for the impressive stop, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s a brilliant save. He throws himself to the left and makes it look easy.
“It was a well-struck penalty likely headed for the corner, but he read it well — probably something he had noted on his water bottle.”
