The penalty awarded to Nottingham Forest was upheld after a VAR review found that Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson made contact with Williams, despite not touching the ball during the challenge.
The decision centred on whether Alisson’s attempt to intervene had brought the Nottingham Forest player down inside the penalty area. Although the ball was not touched, the review concluded that the goalkeeper’s right hand made contact with Williams’ left foot.
The referee explained the decision by saying: “In my view, he came out and brought the player down without touching the ball.”
That assessment was supported by the Video Assistant Referee, who reviewed the incident and confirmed that contact had taken place.
The VAR said: “Alisson’s right hand made contact with the player’s left foot. Clear contact was established. Penalty decision confirmed.”
The review therefore upheld the original on-field decision rather than overturning it. The key factor was not whether Alisson touched the ball, but whether his challenge made contact with the player and caused the foul.
The Premier League’s explanation makes clear that the referee considered Alisson to have come off his line or out of his position to challenge for the ball, but brought Williams down without making contact with it. VAR then checked the incident and determined that the evidence supported the award of the penalty.
The decision was confirmed after the review established contact between Alisson’s right hand and Williams’ left foot. That contact was judged to be clear enough for the original penalty decision to stand.
The incident has therefore been defined by two separate elements: Alisson did not touch the ball, while contact with Williams was confirmed. Under the explanation provided, the absence of a touch on the ball did not remove the grounds for a penalty because the challenge resulted in contact with the player.
The referee’s account and the VAR explanation were consistent on the central point. The referee viewed the challenge as one in which Alisson brought Williams down, and VAR found direct contact involving the goalkeeper’s right hand and the player’s left foot.
The Premier League’s clarification follows the review of the penalty awarded to Nottingham Forest for the challenge involving Alisson and Williams.
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