August 31, (THEWILL) — Video assistant referee Michael Salisbury has been withdrawn from Sunday’s English Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Arsenal following an admitted error during Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Fulham on Saturday.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) confirmed that Salisbury’s intervention in disallowing Josh King’s first-half goal fell below the organisation’s standards for VAR involvement.
Salisbury directed on-field referee Rob Jones to review footage at the pitchside monitor after King appeared to give Fulham the lead at Stamford Bridge.
The VAR official highlighted contact between Rodrigo Muniz and Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up, prompting Jones to overturn the goal for what he described as a careless challenge from the Fulham striker.
The decision to cancel King’s well-executed finish did not meet the high intervention threshold that EPL officials are attempting to establish this campaign.
PGMOL chief Howard Webb has reportedly made contact with Fulham regarding the incident, which provoked anger from manager Marco Silva during the London derby.
John Brooks will replace Salisbury in the VAR booth for the weekend’s marquee encounter at Anfield.
The Leicestershire-based official had previously worked as video assistant during Liverpool’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Newcastle United on Monday, correctly advising the referee to dismiss Anthony Gordon for his reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk.
Brooks has not officiated an Arsenal match since their Carabao Cup semi-final elimination against Newcastle in February.
The personnel change is PGMOL’s response to mounting pressure over VAR consistency following the controversial scenes at Stamford Bridge that overshadowed Chelsea’s comfortable victory.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
