John Brooks had a challenging task during Sunday’s match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield.
The 34-year-old referee awarded Liverpool two penalties in the first half, but after reviewing VAR for the second, he reversed his decision, concluding that Robert Sanchez, despite colliding with Curtis Jones, had made contact with the ball first. This drew criticism from Jamie Carragher.
Brooks also faced another key decision when Chelsea appealed for a penalty, claiming Trent Alexander-Arnold had tripped Jadon Sancho by sweeping his right leg. However, no penalty was given, and Liverpool avoided punishment. The Reds went on to win 2-1, overtaking Manchester City to claim the top spot in the Premier League.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Diff | Points |
| 1 |  Liverpool |
8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 21 |
| 2 |  Manchester City |
8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 20 |
| 3 |  Arsenal |
8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 17 |
| 4 |  Aston Villa |
8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 17 |
| 5 |  Brighton |
8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 15 |
| 6 |  Chelsea |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 14 |
Ultimately, Brooks did not give Chelsea a penalty, although there was one major incident that went against the Blues which everybody seemed to miss.
VAR missed handball from Curtis Jones before Levi Colwill foul
As you may have noticed, it was Levi Colwill who committed the foul that led to Liverpool’s penalty, which Mohamed Salah successfully converted.
The foul was clear, as Liverpool’s No.17 positioned his body between Colwill and the ball after Salah’s shot deflected into his path. However, before Colwill made contact, that shot from Salah struck Curtis Jones on the hand—a moment that VAR should have reviewed, since it occurred within the same passage of play.
According to the Premier League’s official rules, “For penalties awarded, the VAR will check for any infringements by the attacking team in the attacking possession phase (APP) that led to the penalty as well as the incident for which the penalty was awarded.”
Although Jones wasn’t looking at the ball when Salah shot, and the ball was moving quickly when it hit his hand, by the letter of the law, Brooks should have called handball before awarding the penalty.
In his post-match interview, Enzo Maresca even hinted that the Anfield crowd may have influenced Brooks’ decision-making, which could explain why the handball wasn’t checked.
Despite their defeat, Chelsea showed signs of progress.
Since Todd Boehly’s arrival, Chelsea have been a team in transition, cycling through four managers—Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Frank Lampard, and Mauricio Pochettino—without a clear playing style taking root. However, Maresca appears to be steering the Blues in the right direction, as seen by the positive response from Chelsea fans after the match at Anfield.
As WhoScored highlights, Chelsea had 12 shots compared to Liverpool’s nine, with 58% possession and six corners to Liverpool’s one. While the scoreline is ultimately what matters, these underlying stats suggest Chelsea are improving and can compete in Big Six matchups after a turbulent period of change.
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