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Free-kick, penalty… or drop ball? VAR intervenes on Real Madrid handball Referee Istvan Kovacs makes the VAR gesture to cancel a possible penalty for handball by Aurelien Tchouameni
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Image caption,
Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs was advised that Aurelien Tchouameni was too close to the shot and had his arm near to his body
Handball or not handball? Liverpool and Arsenal were both on the end of decisions for video assistant referee (VAR) penalties in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Liverpool fans were left utterly confused when they had a free-kick overturned to be a dropped ball, just when they thought they had a penalty against Real Madrid.
But Arsenal were the beneficiaries despite a Slavia Prague handball coming about via a touch of the defender’s head.
Meanwhile, was Tottenham Hotspur’s Brennan Johnson unlucky to be sent off against FC Copenhagen?
Here’s what happened.
Why Liverpool’s free-kick became a dropped ball to Courtois
Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai attempted a shot on goal in the 30th minute, which was blocked by Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni.
Referee Istvan Kovacs gave a free-kick against the Real Madrid player for handball, an offence which appeared really close to being inside the area.
It was checked by the VAR, Bastian Dankert, and when the referee jogged over to the pitchside monitor Liverpool fans inside Anfield cheered, expecting that a penalty was about to be awarded.
Except that’s not what was happening.
A factual decision, the position where the handball happened, would only be made by the VAR, not the referee.
A referee is only sent to the monitor to judge a subjective decision, in this case handball. So by going to the screen, the referee was overturning his decision to give the handball.
But how did we get from a free-kick to Liverpool to restarting with a dropped ball for goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois?
Because the handball factually took place inside the box, it’s a penalty. And a penalty is reviewable by the VAR.
If the handball had been confirmed as outside the area, the free-kick would have stood regardless of being right or wrong.
A foul given as a free-kick that is found to be inside the area doesn’t automatically mean the referee should check it at the monitor. The foul decision still has to be a clear and obvious error.
So, for the penalty Liverpool conceded through VAR at Brentford on 25 October, it was deemed the on-field call of a foul by Virgil van Dijk on Dango Ouattara wasn’t incorrect, just the position was wrong. The outcomes of these two incidents (free-kick to penalty to overturn) do not have to be the same.
It’s maybe surprising that the penalty was overturned in a Uefa competition, but it was the correct outcome. Kovacs likely felt Tchouameni’s arm was further out, but when the ball hit the hand of the Real Madrid player he had it very close to the body, with no horizontal barrier being created.
Because it’s an overturned penalty, play restarts with the goalkeeper – effectively meaning Liverpool give up their attacking possession.
The cheers of Liverpool fans turned to gasps.
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Did Arsenal get lucky with their VAR penalty?
Lukas Provod of Slavia Prague handles the ball in the area leading to a VAR penalty to Arsenal.
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Image caption,
Referees in European competition give greater weight to a decision when an arm is above the shoulder
Arsenal were given a penalty in the 32nd minute of their game at Slavia Prague, when Lukas Provod was ruled to have handled the ball after a corner was played into the box.
The ball came off Provod’s head and on to the hand, so why did the VAR get involved?
It’s very unlikely that this would have been a VAR penalty in the Premier League, but there is a distinction to be made between deliberately heading the ball and a deflection.
If a defender gets a firm contact on a header and nods it against their own raised arm, that shouldn’t be a penalty.
But if there’s negligible contact, so it’s more of a deflection on to an arm which is above the shoulder, that creates a high risk of a spot-kick being awarded. And in Uefa competition, that’s what we’ve come to expect.
What information do we collect from this quiz?
Was Johnson unlucky with his VAR red card?
Johnson was sent off after a VAR review in the 57th minute of Spurs’ thrashing of FC Copenhagen, and he was pretty unlucky.
He stretched in to try to win the ball off Marcos Lopez, but got nowhere near it, and after his boot came up off the ground it caught the back of Lopez’s leg.
Referee Erik Lambrechts showed a yellow card, so was that really a clear and obvious error?
Uefa takes a dim view of any contact with a straight leg and studs up, which is obviously above the boot. That it might have been accidental doesn’t get much consideration over the nature of the challenge.
Mikel Arteta could start 16-year-old in third-ro
Arsenal are expected to rotate when they travel to take on Portsmouth in the FA Cup.
It is the first of four away games in four competitions in the space of nine days and Mikel Arteta is set to make use of the strong squad available to him.
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That could mean a first start for Eberechi Eze since the Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace last month, while Noni Madueke is also in contention to come into the side.
Arsenal hope to have Kai Havertz in the squad but he is not believed to be ready to start, so Gabriel Jesus will likely lead the line unless Arteta opts to keep trying to play Viktor Gyokeres into form.
The Gunners will again be without Riccardo Calafiori, with Arteta confirming that this match will be “too early” for him.
Piero Hincapie is also a major doubt, having gone off against Liverpool with a suspected hamstring injury. He was due to undergo scans on Friday.
“We have to see the extent of what happened to Piero,” Arteta said.
“He could not carry on in the second half, so I don’t know exactly what it is.”
That leaves Myles Lewis-Skelly as the obvious starter at left-back and there could be an opportunity for 16-year-old Marli Salmon if Arteta decides to rest one of Gabriel or William Saliba.
Kepa will start in goal, as he has been doing in the Carabao Cup, and the likes of Christian Norgaard and Mikel Merino are options in midfield.
Ethan Nwaneri will hope for some minutes, even off the bench. He has not featured since the win over Club Brugge a month ago.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Kepa; White, Saliba, Salmon, Lewis-Skelly; Norgaard, Merino, Eze; Madueke, Jesus, Martinelli
Injured: Calafiori, Mosquera, Dowman
Doubts: Hincapie, Havertz
Time and date: 2pm GMT on Sunday, January 11, 2026
How to watch: TNT Sports
Venue: Fratton Park
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Arsenal injury, suspension list and return dates vs. Portsmouth: Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera latest
Arsenal will begin their bid to win the FA Cup for the 15th time in their history when they travel to Fratton Park for Sunday’s meeting with Championship strugglers Portsmouth.
The Gunners missed the chance to further extend their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table in Thursday’s underwhelming goalless draw against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
While their five-game winning league run came to an end, Mikel Arteta will be pleased with the fact that his side are now unbeaten in seven competitive matches ahead of Sunday’s cup tie and Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up all of Arsenal’s latest injury and suspension news ahead of the clash with Portsmouth, who are languishing in 21st spot in the Championship standings.
Piero Hincapie
Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Muscle
Possible return date: January 11 (vs. Portsmouth)
Hincapie was forced off with what appeared to be a muscle problem in the 57th minute of Thursday’s draw with Liverpool. Arteta now faces a nervous wait to discover the full extent of the defender’s injury.
Kai Havertz
Status: Minor doubt
Type of injury: Match fitness
Possible return date: January 11 (vs. Portsmouth)
Havertz has recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of action for months. However, he has been left out of Arsenal’s last two matchday squads as he continues to build up his fitness. There is a possibility that the forward could make his first appearance since August in Sunday’s FA Cup clash.
Riccardo Calafiori
Status: Out
Type of injury: Muscle
Possible return date: January 14 (vs. Chelsea)
Calafiori has sat out Arsenal’s last four matches with a muscle injury. The defender is making progress in his recovery, but he is not expected to be ready for the upcoming trip to the south coast.
Cristhian Mosquera
Status: Out
Type of injury: Ankle
Possible return date: January 14 (vs. Chelsea)
Like Calafiori, Mosquera is closing in on a return to action after missing over a month of action due to an ankle injury. However, the former Valencia defender will not be available for selection this weekend.
Max Dowman
Status: Out
Type of injury: Ankle
Possible return date: Unknown
Max Dowman is likely to be out until February after sustaining an ankle problem while playing for Arsenal Under-21s in last month’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Manchester United.
ARSENAL’S SUSPENSION LIST
Arsenal have no players suspended for the third-round tie.
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Arsenal remain in the driving seat to clinch the Premier League title crown this season – and they could strengthen Mikel Arteta’s squad to bolster their chances.
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Whether or not the right players are out there remains to be seen, but with Arteta enduring several injury blows already this season – particularly in defence – the manager will be keeping a close eye on potential targets.
The Gunners splashed the cash in the summer, bringing in the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera to the Emirates Stadium – so a loan deal might favour the club
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There could also be high-profile exits, both loans and permanent deals, with young midfield talent Ethan Nwaneri linked with an exit. Other youngsters could also make loan moves to get a taste of first-team football.
With that said, football.london takes a closer look at all the moves completed by Arsenal so far this January.
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