Former referee Mark Clattenburg believes VAR made a mistake in awarding Llorente’s goal in Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
In Liverpool’s dramatic 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, former referee Mark Clattenburg pointed out a major VAR error regarding Marcos Llorente’s first goal. The goal was scored in first-half stoppage time, when Llorente’s shot was beyond Alisson’s reach. However, Clattenburg said that Antoine Griezmann’s offside position obstructed the Liverpool goalkeeper’s vision , affecting his ability to block the ball, according to modern football’s offside rules.
Referee Maurizio Mariani and VAR failed to spot the issue. The error almost allowed Atletico to equalise when Llorente scored in the 81st minute. However, Virgil van Dijk scored the decisive goal in the 92nd minute, ensuring Liverpool took all three valuable points. Clattenburg stressed that, although it was a subjective decision, the players and football fans expected VAR to intervene in this situation.
Clattenburg, who officiated 297 Premier League games and the 2016 Champions League final, said referees needed to be better trained to recognise the impact of offside on goalkeepers. He also noted that VAR still relies heavily on subjective judgement, and this incident was a prime example.
Liverpool were lucky to hold on for all three points thanks to Van Dijk’s decisive header, but the match was a warning that VAR can still miss important situations that directly affect the outcome of a match. It also highlighted the tension in refereeing in the Champions League, when small decisions can change the outcome of a match.
