In the 32nd minute, everyone thought that “the Reds” had taken the lead with a goal by the French defender “Ibrahima Konaté,” after a corner kick, as the ball hit “Hugo Ekitike” before reaching “Konaté” who put it in the net.
But the referee received a signal from the Video Assistant Referee (“VAR”), indicating a possible handball by “Ekitike,” requiring a foul to be called and the goal to be disallowed.
After a lengthy review, the referee himself went to the “VAR” screen to make the final decision, and after deliberations, he returned to the field and announced a foul against the Liverpool striker and disallowed the goal.
It is worth noting that the new amendment to the law stipulates that if the ball touches the hand of the goal creator unintentionally, a foul is not called, and the goal is counted as normal.
The amendment that was applied only in the 2020-2021 season, which considered unintentional handball immediately before scoring a goal a violation, whether from a teammate of the goalscorer – i.e., the passer – or the creator of the attack that resulted in the goal, had been canceled; meaning it is no longer considered a violation as long as it is unintentional.
However, the referee felt that there was intent, as “Ekitike” extended his arm out of its natural position and fully extended it away from his body, before the ball hit it after a header from “Virgil van Dijk,” which raised suspicion of intent and warranted calling the foul.
