Ex-Liverpool boss makes his feelings clear on VAR after controversy

Former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has stood firm on Celtic's contentious victory over Kilmarnock following the late VAR controversy.

Kilmarnock's manager, Stuart Kettlewell, was left seething at the end of the game at Rugby Park in Scotland when Lewis Mayo inadvertently handled the ball after a deflection from teammate Robbie Deas at close quarters. With the Scottish Premiership game hanging in the balance at 1-1, referee John Beaton initially signalled for play to continue.

But VAR official Matthew MacDermid directed Beaton to take another look at the incident on the pitch-side monitor. Beaton subsequently awarded a penalty, which Kelechi Iheanacho converted with the last kick of the match to clinch the win for Celtic, the team Rodgers manages now after his spell in charge of Liverpool between 2012 and 2015.

The Scottish Football Association swiftly issued a statement to clarify the decision, with Kettlewell now suggesting that this sets a new standard for awarding penalties.

In the upcoming Premier Sports Cup tie against Partick Thistle, VAR won't be available to review contentious decisions – and Rodgers was queried whether it would be "refreshing" to go without the VAR team after benefiting from their intervention at Rugby Park.

He replied: "Yeah, yeah. It will be. I think we are all adapted to the VAR, and in fairness to the VAR incident, lots of people will look at it, and there will be chat around whether it was or not.

"But in terms of the actual SFA rules and what they are guided by, that is probably why they came out early and said it was.

"So, no VAR. That will bring a different side to it again, and there probably will be moments in the game where everyone wishes there is VAR."

Rodgers also disclosed that it was his decision to let Iheanacho take the crucial penalty in the final moments in Ayrshire, despite Benjamin Nygren initially stepping up.

When questioned if he influenced the decision to hand the ball to the summer transfer recruit, he responded: "Obviously Benji was taking it - which I love, I love that confidence.

"So, he was great. He had been on and wanted to take the penalty, but I had confidence in Kels taking it.

"We used to have a prescribed penalty taker, but when they are not on the field it's about a feeling.

"And my feeling was that for Kels - for a number of reasons - it would benefit him, his confidence and also his connection with the supporters.

"It was a really, really good finish when it counts."

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