Liverpool VAR Penalty Debate: Would The Inter Call Stand In The Premier League?

Liverpool Var Controversy

Liverpool left the San Siro with a 1–0 win and a lot of noise around one thing: the late Liverpool VAR penalty that decided the match. Dominik Szoboszlai buried the 88th-minute spot-kick after a shirt pull on Florian Wirtz by Alessandro Bastoni, sending Arne Slot’s team up the Champions League league-phase standings and Inter into meltdown.

For readers and bettors, the real question is simple: would that Liverpool VAR penalty ever be given in the Premier League under current guidelines, or is this another example of Europe and England living in different refereeing universes? If you are interested in learning how to bet on Premier League we recommend that you have a look at our Premier League Betting Guide.

Liverpool and Inter players battling for the ball during a Champions League match, with overlaid headline text discussing the VAR penalty debate and whether the Inter call would stand in the Premier League.

What Actually Happened For The Liverpool VAR Penalty

Late in the game, Wirtz cut across the box and Bastoni briefly tugged his shirt. Wirtz went down, the referee initially played on, then the Liverpool VAR penalty check started. After a short review, Felix Zwayer went to the monitor, saw the shirt pull clearly, and pointed to the spot. Szoboszlai sent Yann Sommer the wrong way and Liverpool escaped with a 1–0 win.

Reactions were predictably split:

Andy Robertson admitted it “looked soft” but argued the same thing would be given anywhere else on the pitch.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan said he “didn’t know how they came up with a penalty that never existed.”
Pundits called it a classic European call: technically correct, but harsh at that stage.

On top of that, Liverpool had already seen an Ibrahima Konaté header ruled out because the ball brushed Hugo Ekitike’s arm in the build-up, again after a long VAR check. So this was a night where the Liverpool VAR penalty story and tight calls dominated the narrative more than the overall play.

Inter 0–1 Liverpool: Key Match Numbers

Before diving into the refereeing difference, it helps to look at what the game actually looked like on the stats board.

Match Stats: Inter vs Liverpool on 9 December 2025, Champions League

Metric	Inter	Liverpool
Final score	0	1
xG (expected goals)	0.43	1.47
Shots	9	12
Shots on target	2	5
Possession	50 %	50 %
Total passes	479	495
Pass accuracy	86 %	88 %
Corners	6	3
Yellow cards	3	2
Penalties awarded	0	1 (Szoboszlai)

Liverpool VAR penalty drama aside, the underlying numbers show a fairly even, low-event game. One big refereeing decision became the edge. That is exactly why bettors pay attention to how different competitions handle contact in the box.

Premier League vs Europe: Different VAR Standards

To understand whether the Liverpool VAR penalty would stand in England, you need to look at how the Premier League has changed its approach.

When VAR first came in, the league gave a lot of soft penalties for any touch: tiny kicks, light shirt pulls, glancing contact. That caused chaos and a lot of backlash. In response, the Premier League shifted to a “contact with consequence” standard.

Referees chief Howard Webb summed it up like this earlier in the season:

Contact alone is not enough.
The touch has to actually affect the attacker’s movement.
Shirt pulls have to clearly hold a player back, not just graze the fabric.

UEFA, on the other hand, leans more toward consistency across countries:

Shirt pulls are punished more often if the arm is clearly away from the body.
VAR is quicker to step in for any clear visual grab, even if the attacker goes down easily.

VAR Interpretation: Premier League vs UEFA

Situation	Premier League (current)	UEFA / Champions League
Light shirt pull in the box	Often play on unless it clearly stops movement	Higher chance of penalty if pull is visible
Attacker goes down theatrically	Can count against awarding a penalty	Still often penalised if initial foul is clear
VAR threshold	“Clear and obvious” with focus on consequence	“Clear error” standard but stricter on holding
Handball in build-up to a goal	Slightly more tolerance, focus on intent/impact	More likely to disallow if arm is away from body
Aim of guidance	Match English expectations, reduce soft calls	Ensure consistency with many cultures involved

Under UEFA, a visible shirt tug in the box is often enough. Under the Premier League’s current reading, the same move is closer to “fleeting contact” that should not automatically lead to a spot-kick.

So Would The Liverpool VAR Penalty Be Given In The Premier League?

If you replayed that Liverpool VAR penalty incident on a Saturday at Anfield or Old Trafford, here is what probably happens under current English guidance:

The on-field referee might not give it live. The tug is small and Wirtz goes down easily.
VAR in the Premier League is unlikely to send the referee to the monitor unless the hold clearly stops Wirtz reaching the ball.
Even if the referee gave it in real time, the Premier League VAR might support “on-field decision stands” either way, rather than forcing a change.

So the honest answer:

The Liverpool VAR penalty against Inter is much less likely to be awarded in a Premier League match under the “contact with consequence” approach.

That gap in interpretation is exactly why players and coaches sound confused when they cross from domestic matches into European nights.

Why This Matters To Bettors

For bettors, the Liverpool VAR penalty debate is not only about fairness. It also affects markets.

Penalty-related bets differ by competition
- The 2025–26 Premier League season has seen around 0.26 penalties per match, one of the lower rates in recent years.
- Champions League games often sit slightly higher on penalty frequency, especially with UEFA’s stricter view on holding and handball.
- That means “penalty awarded” or “penalty scored” markets can have different value in Europe than in domestic fixtures.
Liverpool without Salah
- Mohamed Salah’s absence in Milan meant Dominik Szoboszlai took responsibility from the spot.
- If Salah remains out or rotation continues, books may be slow to react to new designated penalty takers and anytime-scorer odds.
- The Liverpool VAR penalty in this match also reinforces the idea that playmakers like Wirtz (or similar profile players) draw fouls and create set-piece opportunities.
Referee profiles matter
- Felix Zwayer averages a solid number of cards and is not shy about big decisions.
- Knowing which referees lean strict on holding and handball helps when picking penalty or card lines in Champions League nights compared to league weekends.