Divock Origi was fouled in the build-up to Manchester United’s goal against Liverpool on Sunday, according to Danny Murphy.
The Belgian forward appeared to be clipped prior to Marcus Rashford tapping in from close range after a wicked Dan James delivery into the Reds’ box, but VAR made the decision to allow the strike to stand.
Adam Lallana equalised late on to maintain Liverpool’s unbeaten run to nine games in the Premier League this season, but Murphy believes that United’s opener should not have stood.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2 (BBC One, Sunday October 20th, 10.30pm), he said: “I would say it’s a foul.
“I mean, I think referees can miss fouls like that because it’s not blatant, it’s not a horrendous foul. But he does make contact.
“What frustrates me, and I think what will frustrate Liverpool supporters is that when he looks at that back, is that they don’t then correct him and say it’s a foul. You can see the contact.
“Sometimes you get them and sometimes you don’t. It’s not the worst decision I’ve seen this season.”
OPINION
This is such a contentious decision, but you can absolutely see why Murphy believes the goal should not have been given. Nobody would have batted an eyelid if Martin Atkinson had had blown for a foul on Origi straight away, but the fact that play was allowed to go on and United went on to score from it has made this into a potentially key moment in Liverpool’s season. Perhaps you could argue that Origi needs to be a bit stronger under the challenge, but the real frustration here lies with the use of VAR. At the moment, it feels as if the whole system is being used incorrectly. In a situation like this, why isn’t the referee coming over to the side of the pitch and reviewing this decision himself on a monitor? That way, it would take away an ambiguity and put the onus firmly on him – something that would allow for greater consistency in the decision-making process.
