How controversial VAR calls defined two title clashes

There were some clear differences in approach.

Darren England, VAR b Arsenal The play, he spent over two minutes and 41 seconds, scanning every corner of the frame, checking for potential fouls and penalties.

That length of time made sense because there were so many events to check.

Once on the monitor, referee Chris Kavanagh watched 17 different replays for one minute and 15 seconds.

In total, the review lasted four minutes and 11 seconds.

Although there is only one thing to review, it was very fast at Fir Park.

Celtic’s game was stopped for one minute and 25 seconds while VAR Andrew Dallas conducted a penalty check.

But once referee John Beaton went to the touchline monitor, he was only there for 20 seconds and watched just two replays.

Dallas swung and rolled the frames, providing clear evidence that the ball had hit the Motherwell midfielder’s hand.

The controversial decision at the London Stadium ended two minutes and four seconds into half-time after a potential handball was awarded.

VARs in Scottish football have been shut down for one key reason: resources.

In England, at least 28 cameras are available for VAR at each ground, though often more.

But in Scotland, most games only have a minimum of six cameras, with up to 12 for matches selected for live television coverage.

The fact that VAR can only provide the referee with one camera angle highlights its limitations. Bitton only saw what everyone else at home saw on television.

It must be remembered that referees must have a level of confidence in VAR, only because they have made an obvious mistake when they get to the screen.

That’s why there are only a handful of times when judges at each level post their own decisions.

This is why VAR is the true referee.

So it was a bold move for VAR to find that even if the ball actually hit Nicholson’s hand, he had valid evidence.

Former Scottish Premiership referee Bobby Madden told 5 Live: “VAR, in FIFA’s terminology, was brought in to look for stones, not pebbles.

“Last night was not a pebble, not a grain of sand. It goes against the whole ethos of why VAR was introduced.”

Perhaps fans find it necessary to create and share fake images on social media as anecdotal evidence.