Benjamin Sesko goal vs. Liverpool correctly allowed to stand, says Premier League panel

AFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsBenjamin Sesko goal vs. Liverpool correctly allowed to stand, says Premier League panelSesko’s strike was given the green light after a VAR review despite suspicions of the ball brushing his fingertips. Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images Share articleThe Premier League’s Key Match Incident (KMI) panel has ruled the correct decision was made to allow Benjamin Sesko’s goal to stand in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Liverpool earlier this month. Sesko’s close range finish was given the green light after a VAR review despite suspicions of the ball brushing his fingertips as the forward made it 2-0. A five-person panel, including three independent former players or managers, found there had been “no conclusive evidence” of a handball with a vote of 3-2 in support of the on-field decision. The panel voted 4-1 that the VAR was right not to intervene. The KMI panel’s view was aligned with the view of PGMO chief Howard Webb, who told the Mic’d Up programme earlier this week there had been no conclusive proof the ball had hit Sesko’s hand. The support for that decision was in contrast with what the KMI panel believed were three missed interventions across matchweek 35. The first of those came in West Ham United’s damaging 3-0 loss to Brentford when it was found that Tomas Soucek had been fouled by Keane Lewis-Potter inside the penalty area. The incident was missed by both referee Craig Pawson and the VAR but the KMI panel, voting 5-0, said Lewis-Potter had held Soucek in a “non-footballing action”. The unanimous decision was that West Ham should have been given a penalty and a potential lifeline. The following day brought another missed intervention, the KMI panel ruled, as Bournemouth were awarded a penalty after Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson brought down Marco Senesi. That spot-kick made it 2-0 to Bournemouth in an eventual 3-0 victory but the KMI panel, again voting 5-0, found that the call of referee Rob Jones was incorrect and that VAR should have stepped in. Another error was found to have come in Everton’s dramatic 3-3 draw with Manchester City. At a stage of the game where Everton were leading 3-2, Merlin Rohl was pulled to the ground by Bernardo Silva when defending a corner. Everton manager David Moyes later said he was “absolutely amazed” a penalty had not been given and that view was supported by the KMI panel, who said there had been “a clear, sustained holding offence by Silva”. A 5-0 vote added that the VAR should have recommended a review to referee Michael Oliver. The other big call from that round of Premier League matches was the red card shown to Sunderland defender Dan Ballard for pulling the hair of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ forward Tolu Arokodare. That had been missed by referee Paul Tierney but the KMI panel found Ballard had closed his fist around Arokodare’s hair to meet the “current threshold” for violent conduct. The Athletic has been told that hair pulling offences were discussed at a recent meeting of the Professional Game Board, a body run by the Football Association that advises how matches should be officiated across England. A forceful hair pull would remain as violent conduct, including the three-game suspension, but there is ongoing consultation asking if a blanket approach is appropriate in light of recent red cards shown to Ballard and United’s Lisandro Martinez, who was found to have pulled the hair of Leeds United Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Changes could come into force ahead of the 2026-27 season. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms