#eplnews

Former Premier League referee, Mark Clattenburg, has said he was “puzzled” by the decision of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), to award Crystal Palace a penalty in their 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday. The Gunners had raced into a two-goal lead early in the first half, thanks to Sokratis and David Luiz. However, referee Martin Atkinson awarded Palace a penalty, after initially showing Wilfred Zaha a yellow card fora dive. Atkinson also ruled out Sokratis’ goal with 10 minutes less for infringement. Clattenburg told Daily Mail: “VAR left me puzzled at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. I’m still lost as to why they got involved to award Crystal Palace a penalty against Arsenal when, in my opinion, Wilfried Zaha clearly dived. “Referee Martin Atkinson was right to book the Palace man for simulation. He was in a perfect position to make the call, too. Calum Chambers’ leg was planted and Zaha threw himself to the ground. Atkinson spotted his ploy and produced a yellow card. “Then VAR got involved. They told their man on the ground to overturn his original decision and award a spot-kick instead. It was a gift for Palace. “Then in the last 10 minutes, Sokratis scored to make it 3-2, only for VAR to chalk it off. Meanwhile, those at home and inside the stadium were left trying to work out why. “Australian Jarred Gillett was the video official at Stockley Park and I would love to have heard his reasoning. “VAR awarded three penalties on Sunday, with Manchester United receiving two. On Saturday, Brighton became the first club to have one awarded this season that was not originally given by the referee. “This suggests the system is going to be used differently from now on. Maybe Mike Riley, the head of the PGMOL, is feeling under pressure.” Read the full article

Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, has played down fears that both Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah picked up injuries during Sunday’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Salah, who netted the winning penalty, was withdrawn shortly before full time after appearing to have aggravated his ankle injury. Similarly, Van Dijk was seen leaving the dressing room with ice on his leg after the game. Speaking to ​Sky Sports after the game, Klopp admitted he was not concerned about either injuries. The Liverpool boss, however, said he was aware that ​Salah’s knock will likely need some more treatment. He said, “Virgil got a dead leg, which will be fine. It’s painful, but it will be fine. “For Mo, it’s the same ankle. It gets sore the longer the game goes, but it’s not a massive issue. It will disappear one day, but at the moment, it’s still a bit there. “It had no influence on him during the game, but then the longer the game goes, the more intense it will be. If it starts again, then that’s it.” Read the full article

Arsenal Head of Football, Raul Sanllehi, has backed manager, Unai Emery, over his decision to axe Mesut Ozil from the Gunners’ recent squads. Ozil, who is the highest earner at the club, has only played once in the Premier League this season. The German also featured in the Carabao Cup demolition of Nottingham Forest. Ozil was on the bench against Aston Villa towards the end of September but was omitted from the matchday squads entirely for fixtures against Manchester United and Bournemouth. There have been reports that Ozil has failed to impress Emery in training, while the manager himself has made it clear that other players “deserve it more” to be in the squad. Sanllehi was at a fan’s forum event on Thursday evening and was asked about the current situation surrounding Ozil. Speaking to supporters, he said: “Unai’s policy has always been to play the ones that work hard in training.” Read the full article