Another weekend, one other spate of contentious VAR selections within the Premier League.

Whereas all the talk was about marginal offside calls, now it is Handball selections almost definitely to get followers labored up.

We had 4 such incidents over the weekend and what frustrates followers is what seems to be an inconsistent utility of the handball legal guidelines by officers.

So what on earth is happening? We analyse the newest handball controversies in England’s top-flight to try to work it out.

HARRY MAGUIRE (Nottingham Forest vs MAN UNITED, Sunday)

What occurred? The sport was goalless within the twentieth minute when Nottingham Forest’s Renan Lodi delivered a nook right into a congested six-yard field.

In the scramble to clear the ball, United captain Harry Maguire, turning again in the direction of his personal objective, has each arms raised as he jumps to move the ball clear.

The ball strikes his left arm and Forest’s gamers enchantment for a Penalty. Maguire had already been booked earlier within the match too.

VAR choice: No penalty. On-field referee Simon Hooper signalled to the interesting Forest gamers that VAR Andy Medley was checking it, nevertheless it wasn’t deemed to be handball.

Reaction: United went on to win the match 2-0, pushing 18th-placed Forest nearer to relegation.

Forest supervisor Steve Cooper was livid on the handball choice, saying: ‘I feel it is a penalty, the Harry Maguire one. A very poor error. Why VAR have not seen that’s not proper. It’s one other second that can have massive scrutiny and there is been loads of not optimistic selections and that is one other.’

Roy Keane, talking on Sky Sports, stated Maguire was ‘fortunate’ to get away with the handball and added ‘if he provides the penalty you would not complain an excessive amount of.’

Verdict: The regulation states it is solely a handball offence if ‘the place of their hand/arm will not be a consequence of, or justifiable by, the gamers’ physique motion for that particular scenario.’ In different phrases, the hand or arm is in an unnatural place in that particular state of affairs.

Maguire is firstly tussling in a congested six-yard field and so is extra more likely to have his arms out to fend off different gamers and get to the ball first. Also, when leaping to move the ball, as he’s right here, there’s extra likelihood of his arm being up excessive.

As the ball drops, his left arm stays in the identical place as a result of he’s making an attempt to fend off one other participant – sarcastically his team-mate Anthony Martial – to win the header. It hits his left arm when he misses the header.

Had the ball dropped onto his proper arm, which Maguire brings up from his facet into the trail of the ball with out fending anybody off, it most likely would have been a penalty.

Maguire remains to be working a danger right here however given the context of the group of gamers and his leap, there’s sufficient mitigation throughout the handball regulation for it to not be a penalty.

Later in the identical match, there was one other handball shout in opposition to United’s Diogo Dalot. The ball did strike the defender’s arm nevertheless it had deflected onto his physique, in order that wasn’t a penalty.

MICHAIL ANTONIO (WEST HAM vs Arsenal, Sunday)

What occurred? In the 51st minute, with Arsenal main 2-1, West Ham fail to totally clear a nook by Bukayo Saka. The ball drops to Gabriel Martinelli on the flip simply contained in the penalty space. His half-volley strikes the decrease arm of Michael Antonio, who’d charged the shot down.

Referee David Coote, who had a very good view of the incident, factors to the spot and there isn’t any criticism from Antonio.

VAR choice: The test by John Brooks rapidly upheld the on-field choice to award Arsenal a penalty.

Reaction: Saka stepped up however rolled the penalty extensive and that may show expensive as a result of Jarrod Bowen levelled the scores for West Ham only a minute or so later and the Gunners ended up dropping two important factors within the title race.

There wasn’t wherever close to as a lot controversy about this one because the Maguire choice, although loads of followers had been later left questioning why one was a penalty and the opposite not.

Verdict: The distinction from the Maguire choice is that Antonio is on his personal and never in a bunch of gamers, which means there’s much less motive to stay his arms out. It’s seemingly this might have been distinguished within the officers’ pondering.

But there isn’t any query the handball rule in these circumstances stays very subjective.

As former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher stated on Sky Sports: ‘Has it hit the arm in an unnatural place? What is an unnatural place? Has it hit his arm above the shoulder or his head?’

No, however the arm is outstretched when it does not have to be, making a barrier that the ball then hits. The space the place Antonio is probably unlucky is on proximity – he is simply two or three yards away from Martinelli with the ball struck with tempo.

Given the present studying of handball guidelines in such conditions, nevertheless, there was little to no likelihood VAR would have overturned the on-field verdict.

DECLAN RICE (WEST HAM vs Arsenal, Sunday)

What occurred? Although this incident occurred earlier than the final one, I’m working it afterwards as a result of it bears larger comparability with incident No 4 to come back subsequent.

It’s the thirty first minute and Arsenal lead 2-0 following a blistering begin. Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is sloppy on the ball and is dispossessed by West Ham’s Declan Rice. As Partey fails to regulate, the ball pops up and hits Rice on both the chest or the arm.

Rice strides ahead, passes to Lucas Paqueta, who’s introduced down by Gabriel’s slide deal with and referee Coote factors to the spot. Said Benrahma converts the penalty to halve the deficit.

VAR choice: No handball by Rice, penalty stands.

Verdict: The lawmakers IFAB say on this scenario: ‘It is an offence if a gamers scores within the opponents’ objective instantly after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even when unintended.’

Well, Rice did not rating the objective, his ‘handball’ merely led to a penalty that was then scored. So it comes down right here as to whether the handball was unintended or deliberate.

The replays confirmed that Rice had his arm in a pure place for his motion and given the ball struck him after Partey had kicked it, at very shut proximity, there is not sufficient right here for VAR to overturn the penalty choice and pull play again.

It got here every week after the ball hit Vladimir Coufal’s arm within the lead-up to Harrison Reed’s personal objective that led to West Ham’s 1-0 win at Fulham.

That was a clearer contact than the Rice incident nevertheless it was deemed to be unintended and his arm was in a pure place.

TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD (Leeds United vs LIVERPOOL, Monday)

What occurred? An analogous incident occurred in Monday evening’s sport between Leeds United and Liverpool at Elland Road.

In the build-up to Cody Gakpo’s Thirty fifth-minute opener for Liverpool, the ball struck Trent Alexander-Arnold’s left elbow after Junior Firpo managed the ball badly.

Alexander-Arnold continued his run and delivered the low cross from which Gakpo tapped house.

The Elland Road crowd could be heard yelling ‘handball’ and Firpo was particularly vocal in his protestations to referee Craig Pawson.

Six seconds cut up the handball and the ball hitting the again of the web.

VAR choice: Tony Harrington determined it was not deliberate handball by Alexander-Arnold, objective stands.

Reaction: The objective was the start of a landslide 6-1 win for Liverpool so maybe within the grand scheme of issues a choice to chalk it off would not have modified the complexion of the match.

Leeds supervisor Javi Gracia may see the broader image: ‘It was a objective, it was handball and that’s all. After conceding six targets I do not need to say something – however you and me know what occurred.’

Ben Mee, a visitor pundit on Sky’s Monday Night Football, stated: ‘On the replay he strikes his arm and I do assume it was a handball. Movement to the ball is handball.’

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, alongside him, wasn’t so positive. ‘There is doubt, for me when it hits him it appears to be like like his hand is sitting out, he received himself prepared and his arm is within the place as if the ball would possibly hit you.

‘Look at his arm, barely in place, little question it strikes out, whether or not the ball is there or naturally the place the arm was going to go. It may have gone both method, little question about that.’

On BBC Radio 5 Live, the previous Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson stated: ‘It’s a transparent handball. Trent places his arm out and hits it ahead. Most folks within the stadium are in shock that objective was given.’

Verdict: Carragher is true to say it’s ambiguous. There’s actually extra of a case for deliberate handball than within the Rice incident.

The replays present that Alexander-Arnold does transfer his arm in the direction of the ball however it might be interpreted to be a part of his working movement.

Applying the IFAB regulation above, we will once more rule out the ‘instantly after’ bit as a result of Gakpo scored and never Alexander-Arnold. So it comes down as to whether it was unintended/deliberate.

The choice has seemingly gone within the Liverpool man’s favour due to his proximity to Firpo when the ball is kicked and the actual fact his arm stays in a pure place.

It does go to show, nevertheless, that despite the fact that VAR permits match officers extra alternatives to see an incident, selections akin to this finally come all the way down to human interpretation.