Paul Tierney has come under fire for his role in Liverpool’s late victory against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
Paul Tierney will not referee a Premier League match this weekend after being chastised for his controversial decision in Liverpool’s match against Nottingham Forest the previous Saturday. Instead, the official will serve as the VAR for Arsenal’s match against Brentford at Stockley Park.
The Reds maintained their lead at the top of the table on Saturday due to a late goal from Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan international steered his header past Matz Sels in the 99th minute at the City Ground, sending the visiting Liverpool fans into a frenzy.
However, the essence of the last-gasp winner has been somewhat obscured by the dispute surrounding the goal. Tierney resumed the action with a drop ball at Caiomhin Kelleher’s feet, giving the Reds possession prior to their goal.
Forest, on the other hand, were furious with the decision because they were in possession of the ball when play was paused owing to Ibrahima Konate’s head injury. Both players and supporters believed Tierney should have restarted play with the ball at one of their players’ feet rather than the Liverpool goalie.
Following the match, the referee received widespread criticism from ex-referees and analysts, with many dissatisfied with how the decision might ultimately decide the title battle.
PGMOL appear to be aware of Tierney’s rising pressure and have moved him out of the spotlight ahead of this weekend’s games, with the 43-year-old not scheduled to take command of any Premier League matches. He will instead be on VAR duty when Arsenal face Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“According to the law, whomever possesses the ball when the play comes to an end gets it back. Hudson-Odoi certainly possessed the ball, which should have been dropped to Nottingham Forest on the wing.
“I know they went and scored Liverpool, it wasn’t directly from the drop ball, it’s close enough two minutes afterwards so it’s a big timescale in between.”
Forest recently hired Mark Clattenburg as a refereeing analyst to review their games, and the former official spoke on the latest controversy involving Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, saying: “As a club, Forest believe there have been one or two decisions that have gone against them – Newcastle United, West Ham – decisions on which the PGMOL has admitted there was an error.
“If the referee believes there is a head injury, he will stop the game. He has the right to halt it. However, the ball must be returned to the team that currently holds possession. And Nottingham Forest obviously held that possession.
“He did the same in the first half, but it was a different situation. The ball was closer to the penalty area, and Nottingham Forest was approaching the corner flag. Nottingham Forest should have received the ball back. Instead, Liverpool went upfield and scored from there.”
