Harry who?! Watkins makes England case as Kane watches on

How it feels to beat Lionel Messi

Why Man Utd & Liverpool both want Argentine teen Soler

Top 25 African players of the 21st century - ranked

Vini's nightmare goes on as Brazil drop more WCQ points

'Please leave him alone!' - Deschamps sends out Mbappe plea

Mendes responds to Ronaldo criticism of Portugal players

Where's Leo?! Messi invisible as Argentina upset by Paraguay

Ronaldo stunner the cherry on top for five-star Portugal 

Amorim told he's already made his first mistake at Man Utd

How to watch Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson from anywhere

Twellman reportedly investigated for physical altercation

Manchester City

Manchester United

Liverpool

Arsenal

Chelsea

Other

<p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script><ul><li>Chelsea get rare chance at Anfield</li><li>Van Dijk appears to trip Gallagher</li><li>VAR decided not to intervene</li></ul>

Virgil van Dijk gets away with one! Why VAR denied Chelsea a penalty against Liverpool despite Reds' captain seeming to trip Conor Gallagher - explained

Premier League

Leicester

Southampton

<p>The Reds made a dominant start to Jurgen Klopp's first home league match <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/jurgen-klopp-last-dance-liverpool-start-production-documentary-beloved-manager-final-months-anfield/blt3b4e650284de66c0" target="_blank">since his shock exit announcement</a>, but it was Chelsea who managed a sight of goal when Gallagher was played in by Raheem Sterling. The Blues midfielder went down under a challenge from Van Dijk but no penalty was awarded by Paul Tierney, while the VAR also opted not to overturn the decision.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Should Chelsea have been awarded a penalty for this challenge from Van Dijk? 👀🤔 <a href="https://t.co/HV8ykMh5st">pic.twitter.com/HV8ykMh5st</a></p>— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) <a href="https://twitter.com/footballontnt/status/1752793004211892719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



WHAT HAPPENED?

<p>Gallagher went down after his right right appeared to make contact with Van Dijk's right knee. However, the Chelsea man was falling slightly before the Dutchman made contact, with referee Tierney not deeming it enough contact to award the penalty. The decision was not considered enough of an error for John Brooks to intervene as VAR and so Tierney's original decision stood.</p>

THE EXPLANATION

<p>The chance was a rare sight of goal for Mauricio Pochettino's side, who struggled from practically the first minute at a raucous Anfield. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez were dominated by Liverpool's energetic midfield and Ben Chilwell was often careless in possession, with the home side's pressure paying off when Diogo Jota broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute. The Portuguese latched onto a pass from Conor Bradley before slaloming between Chelsea's lacklustre centre-backs and slotting past Djordje Petrovic.</p><p>Bradley then got himself his first-ever Liverpool goal with a brilliant finish, putting Klopp's side in a dominant position before half-time.</p>

THE BIGGER PICTURE

<p>A win for Liverpool would restore their<a href="https://www.goal.com/en/premier-league/table/2kwbbcootiqqgmrzs6o5inle5" target="_blank"> five-point lead at the Premier League summit</a>, while defeat for Pochettino and Chelsea would see them drop back down to tenth and slightly ramp up the pressure on the Argentine.</p>

WHAT NEXT?

Virgil van Dijk gets away with one! Why VAR denied Chelsea a penalty against Liverpool despite Reds' captain seeming to trip Conor Gallagher - explained | Goal.com

Virgil van Dijk was fortunate not to give away a penalty against Chelsea on Wednesday, after the Liverpool captain appeared to trip Conor Gallagher.

Virgil van Dijk gets away with one! Why VAR denied Chelsea a penalty against Liverpool despite Reds&apos; captain seeming to trip Conor Gallagher - explained