Premier League refereeing remains inconsistent on post-shot fouls, former official says

A penalty awarded against Liverpool's Alisson for fouling Neco Williams after a shot has highlighted ongoing inconsistency in how referees handle contact following a shot, pass, or cross. Last season's guidance suggested penalties only for reckless challenges, but application varied across multiple incidents, according to former referee Graham Scott. Scott, who served on the review panel, noted that even the independent panel itself disagreed on several cases.

The article documents 14 penalty appeals last season for challenges made immediately after a player had released a shot, pass, or cross. Only two were awarded on the pitch, while two more were judged to have been missed. The independent review panel itself split on several of these cases, underscoring how subjective the interpretation has become.

West Ham's relegation season featured three separate home incidents where referees declined to award penalties for similar post-shot contact, and officials were later told their decisions were correct. This contrasts sharply with Saturday's Anfield penalty, where Alisson failed to play the ball and brought down his opponent, a call most officials would reportedly accept as fair.