Ferdinand: 'VAR took away two penalties from Chelsea'

Former centre-back Rio Ferdinand believes Chelsea suffered a loss after being denied two penalties in their 4-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League on the evening of January 31.

"I can't believe VAR missed Liverpool's mistakes," Ferdinand commented on the situation when Virgil van Dijk rushed Conor Gallagher in the seventh minute, then kicked Christopher Nkunku in the 73rd minute. These were sensitive moments, when the score was 0-0 and 3-1 for Liverpool. If Chelsea had been awarded a penalty for these situations, they could have turned the match in a different direction.

Van Dijk pulled Gallagher early in the match, but was overlooked by VAR, when Liverpool defeated Chelsea in round 22 of the Premier League on the evening of January 31. Photo: Mirror

"VAR was created to help referees and reduce controversy, but it's more controversial than ever," Ferdinand added. "I don't believe VAR doesn't see what we see. Why don't they think it's a penalty? Those are very important situations for the fate of a team."

Coach Mauricio Pochettino was also upset after the match. He argued with referee John Brooks as soon as the final whistle blew. "I watched the situations immediately on my iPad and thought it should have been a penalty," the Argentine coach said in a post-match interview. "Chelsea were unlucky but of course that doesn't change the feeling that Liverpool were stronger than us."

Liverpool dominated Chelsea at Anfield in terms of attacks and scoring chances. They had seven more shots than Chelsea (28 to 4) and scored four goals from a variety of well-planned set-pieces. If striker Darwin Nunez had not hit the woodwork four times, including a penalty, Liverpool would have scored more.

Thanks to a big win over Chelsea, Liverpool consolidated their position at the top of the Premier League table with 51 points, five points ahead of second-placed Man City, but their opponents still have a game in hand.

Vy Anh

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