Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis, Premier League 2018/19 

#3 Should the VAR be included?

Was Mane off when Firmino chipped the ball here?

The major talking point of the first-half and arguably the match, apart from all the exhilarating action, was Liverpool's disallowed goal. Against the run of play, Trent Alexander-Arnold crafted a pass through for Roberto Firmino, who excellently beat a charging Leno but saw himself hit the top of the cross-bar.

However, the ball fell to Sadio Mane. The Senegalese star placed it in the back of the net with aplomb but to his disarray and frustration, assistant referee Simon Long raised his flag.

Now, the heated point of discussion is whether he was offside and secondly, was it the assistant to blame?

Firstly, it was certainly onside. The moment when Firmino stuck his foot out in order to reach out for the ball and slot the ball past the German shot-stopper, Mane was ahead of all the red and white shirts but behind both Leno and his teammate. And that is what must be taken into account at such a situation.

When the ball was played in for the Brazilian forward, the linesman Long was a good 10-12 yards behind the line of attack. Was it is fault or is it too much to ask of his athletic abilities? One thing is clear, it should not and will not take a lot of time for VAR to bless English football.