Arsenal goal allowed to stand vs Liverpool due to VAR technical error with potential Bukayo Saka offside

Arsenal’s opening goal in their 3-2 victory over Liverpool was allowed to stand as VAR was unable to conclusively prove that Bukayo Saka was offside in the build up.

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Gabriel Martinelli gave Mikel Arteta’s side the lead after just 58 seconds at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

But questions have been raised over whether Saka was in an offside position when he received a pass from Arsenal defender Ben White near the halfway line.

According to ESPN, Saka was out of shot in all five of the cameras used by VAR’s technology provider Hawk-Eye when White played the pass.

This meant that the offside lines could not be used to determine whether the Arsenal winger was marginally ahead of the last Liverpool defender when the ball was played.

The report also claims that the tactical camera near the halfway line, which was used for the replay for Martinelli’s goal, is not calibrated for offside, so it could not be used to conclusively rule out Arsenal’s opener.

Meanwhile, beIN Sports presenter Richard Keys has accused officials of ‘guessing’ whether Saka was onside.

‘Saka is offside when he receives the ball in the build up to the first goal. He’s clearly offside,’ Keys wrote in his blog.

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‘But let’s be generous and say VAR let it go because it was so tight. I’ve argued that when decisions are – the forward should always get the advantage so I’d be happy if the PGMOL have had a change of heart Except they haven’t. They missed it.

‘How do I know? Because we asked the match centre