The British newspaper "The Sun" reported that referee Michael Salisbury was excluded from overseeing the video assistant referee duties in the top match between Liverpool and Arsenal, just hours before the kickoff, due to a refereeing error that sparked widespread controversy during the Chelsea vs Fulham match in the Premier League.

Salisbury was responsible for VAR in the Chelsea vs Fulham match that took place on Saturday, which witnessed a controversial moment after he intervened to disallow a goal scored by young Josh King on the grounds of a foul early in the attack by his teammate Rodrigo Muniz on Chalobah.

After reviewing the footage on the screen, referee Robert Jones decided to cancel the goal, confirming that there was an intervention, which angered Fulham's coach Marco Silva and several analysts and football stars, amid criticism of the use of VAR in the league.

In light of this controversy, the Professional Referees Association decided to exclude Salisbury from the Liverpool vs Arsenal match and appointed referee Andrew Madley instead to oversee VAR, assisted by Sian Massey-Ellis from the officiating center at Stockley Park.