Overview

• Michael Salisbury was stood down hours before kickoff at Anfield and replaced by John Brooks as VAR for Liverpool vs Arsenal.
• Referee Rob Jones disallowed Josh King’s first‑half goal for Fulham after a VAR‑prompted review of Rodrigo Muniz’s contact on Trevoh Chalobah, calling it a careless challenge.
• PGMOL acknowledged the intervention did not meet the clear‑and‑obvious threshold and confirmed that the on‑field decision should have stood under its referee’s‑call principle.
• Howard Webb contacted Fulham following the admission, though the 2-0 result at Stamford Bridge remains with goals from João Pedro and an Enzo Fernández penalty after a separate handball review.
• Marco Silva and several pundits condemned the rulings, Enzo Maresca defended them as straightforward, and the episode renewed scrutiny of VAR consistency and accountability in the Premier League.