Questions asked AGAIN after shocking Lucas Paqueta foul against Liverpool

West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta escaped a red card against Liverpool on Saturday and it raised the same old questions.

People were once again talking about referees at half-time of West Ham United vs Liverpool. An awful challenge from Lucas Paqueta on Alexis Mac Allister received no punishment - but should it have?

Yes, if we're being honest. The Brazilian went in very high on Mac Allister, coming down above his ankle with his studs and leaving the Argentine on the floor.

It was late, it was reckless, and Mac Allister was very fortunate that he didn't suffer any serious damage. How Paqueta escaped punishment is anyone's guess.

But there was no great VAR check, nor did the West Ham star receive even a yellow card. It flagged inconsistencies in refereeing that have plagued the Premier League all season.

Much as in midweek with Nicolas Jackson's tackle, there are comparisons with Curtis Jones's red card against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season. That was a red card that - along with an all-time bad VAR call - cost Liverpool points.

It was also not as bad a challenge as either Paqueta's or Jackson's. Yet, Jones's was actually upgraded to a red after a VAR review.

Curtis Jones's red

Jurgen Klopp’s side ended up losing 2-1 at Spurs in hugely controversial circumstances with Luis Diaz’s perfectly legitimate goal mistakenly ruled out for offside and Diogo Jota also being dismissed late on.

Such was the scale of the error that Klopp called for the Spurs game to be replayed, a request which came to no avail despite PGMOL admitting a "significant human error".

With Liverpool trailing Arsenal and Man City at the top of the table by miniscule margins, that remains a game that could have a big impact on the fate of the Premier League title.

The Jones decision, in hindsight, appears to have been a dreadful one. One that Premier League referees now sem to believe was completely incorrect.