Why Liverpool’s handball free-kick was overturned for Real Madrid drop ball

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There was no shortage of bemusement when a Liverpool free-kick was overturned for a drop ball after a VAR review, and an expert on the matter has explained why. Referee Istvan Kovacs gave a free-kick against Aurelien Tchouameni on the edge of the box in the first half for handball, which then saw VAR intervene.

Inside the ground, the expectation was that the decision would be overturned for a penalty after the referee consulted the pitch-side monitor, instead Real Madrid got a drop ball in their box. And VAR expert, Dale Johnson, has since explained why for the BBC, starting off by stating that “by going to the screen, the referee was overturning his decision to give the handball.” Why the free-kick became a drop ball for Real Madrid Was it a handball!? ?

Liverpool are denied a penalty after VAR review ? pic.twitter.com/CLesyTkPDj — Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) November 4, 2025 • READ: Federico Chiesa takes the piss as Bradley grounds Vinicius – 8 things you may have missed Johnson went on to explain that, “Because the handball factually took place inside the box, it’s a penalty. “The outcomes of these two incidents (free-kick to penalty to overturn) do not have to be the same.” Succinctly put, because the handball actually took place inside the penalty box, confirmed by VAR, the referee was sent to the screen to determine whether it was enough for a spot kick.