Biggest VAR call ever? Four chaotic minutes that may define the season

Imagine being in England's position as the VAR in Stockley Park. The pressure on the official must have been huge. He cannot hear the Sky commentary, he has no idea what public opinion is. This is the referee who, in September 2023, was responsible for the biggest VAR mistake the Premier League has seen. It was England who misinterpreted an on-field offside decision, causing a goal for Liverpool 's Luis Diaz to be wrongly disallowed at Tottenham . England had to fight his way back up to top-flight refereeing after that. Today he was presented with a decision that could decide the fate of two clubs. You can't blame him for taking his time. He had to get this right. England spent two minutes 41 seconds poring over every angle of the footage, checking the possible foul, the potential penalties. We have seen pushing, shoving, grabbing and pulling on corners all season. Goalkeepers have been pressuring and harried too. Is this different? Crucially, it was. Pablo had his arm across Raya and he was holding on to the goalkeeper's left arm too. It is hard to argue that the Spain international was not impeded. Without the foul contact by Pablo, Raya would surely have had a simple catch. England checked the other possible fouls too, by Trossard on Pablo and Rice on Summerville. Importantly, the first foul that had a direct impact on play was Pablo on Raya. You cannot give a penalty for a foul that may come after this. England had to get that right - and he did. …