Premier League bosses have ordered an urgent review into the “abysmal” VAR decisions at Chelsea and Newcastle.
It is an unprecedented step but shows the level of frustration over the decisions which denied Newcastle and West Ham goals against Crystal Palace and Chelsea respectively.
Referees’ body PGMOL will now be expected to explain the reasoning behind each decision which has led to a furious backlash. The PGMOL have effectively accepted mistakes were made at Chelsea and Newcastle and will co-operate fully with the review.
It puts referees’ chief Mike Riley under renewed pressure as he is set to leave his post at the PGMOL at the end of the season with former Premier League ref Howard Webb coming in.
Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer, who called Newcastle’s disallowed goal “shocking, abysmal, disgraceful,” said; “At this level, you're in the big boys league, you've got to get that decision right. He's had no help from the VAR whatsoever.
“Mike Riley [head of the PGMOL] wasn't up to the job, they've got rid of him although he's still in it till Howard Webb comes in at Christmas time.
"He's got a big job on his hands, far, far too many errors. VAR is not the problem, it's the people as I keep saying that are running it that are the problem."
For the Premier League to step in publicly and demand a full review shows the level of disquiet among league bosses.
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They have already seen other high-profile gaffes this season, including VAR Mike Riley admitting he got it wrong last month when he failed to send off Tottenham defender Cristian Romero for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair at Chelsea.
Now the latest mistakes prompted furious reactions from West Ham and Newcastle with Hammers boss David Moyes saying he was “embarrassed” for VAR Jarred Gillett in disallowing Maxwell Cornet’s last gasp equaliser at Chelsea.
Jarrod Bowen was judged to have fouled Edouard Mendy in the build-up. Meanwhile, Newcastle saw what manager Eddie Howe called a "perfectly good goal" chalked off against Palace.
Palace defender Tyrick Mitchell turned the ball into his own net and referee Michael Salisbury ruled it out for a foul by Joe Willock on goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, though Newcastle felt the midfielder was himself pushed by Mitchell.
Moyes said: ”The goalkeeper comes to take it, and actually fumbles it out of his hands five or six yards, so he could never recover it. Then he acted as if he had a shoulder injury. I'm amazed that VAR sent the referee to see it.
"It was a ridiculously bad decision. I'd question VAR as much as the referee, but the referee should have stuck to his own guns - there is no excuse for that not to be a goal, none whatsoever.
"The sad thing is this is the level of the weak refereeing at the moment.”
