Mark Clattenburg says whether West Ham should have been given freekick before Liverpool’s crucial corner with VAR claim made

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West Ham suffered late heartbreak at Anfield on Sunday as Virgil van Dijk netted an 89th minute winner – but the goal came in controversial fashion.

Alexis Mac Allister appeared to foul Lucas Paqueta just before the Argentine won Liverpool the corner from which the Netherlands international scored – and the West Ham No.10 was far from happy about it, visibly annoyed with Andy Madley for his decision.

Many have wondered why the challenge was not checked by VAR, although a little-known rule states that those in the booth at Stockley Park do not check for fouls committed before a corner.

Now – speaking exclusively to TBR Football – Mark Clattenburg has shared his thoughts on that rule, and revealed whether he thinks Paqueta really was fouled by Mac Allister.

Mark Clattenburg defends Andy Madley and makes Lucas Paqueta accusation

The 50-year-old believes the Brazil international made a meal of the challenge by Mac Allister, and is content with the fact VAR does not check for potential offences before a corner.

Clattenburg told TBR Football: “I personally did not think the challenge by Mac Allister on Paqueta was a foul, as Paqueta is trying to make more of the small contact by throwing himself down in a way that does not look natural for the contact.

“I feel Paqueta needs to be stronger in protecting the ball. I do not believe VAR should intervene in all challenges as this will undermine the referee’s job, and will cause more frustration amongst players, coaches and fans that everything is being checked.

“If we look at fouls before corners, next we check every throw in. I would prefer that VAR is used to a minimum and to stop scandalous decisions (by) not checking every little detail.”

Clattenburg responded similarly after a rant by Ange Postecoglou regarding how long VAR checks are taking in the Premier League – so the man from Consett has been very consistent with his thoughts on the technology.

The offside equivalent of goal-line technology impresses on debut

Last weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures saw the use of semi-automated offside debuted in the Premier League, and it looks set to be a welcome addition.

Much like goal-line technology, where a definitive outcome is provided almost immediately, the semi-automated offside offered a conclusive answer very quickly in several games, as opposed to the lengthy checks carried out by officials so far this season.

Hopefully, it can help to speed up Premier League football going forwards.