Premier League make four drastic rule changes with new season just days away | Football | Sport

The collision happened as Mo Salah scored what he thought was Liverpool’s second goal but the assistant referee then raised his flag for offside once the passage of play was completed. This season will also see referees encouraged to take a tougher line on penalty area wrestling matches.

VAR will get involved more often this season in incidents where players are being clearly prevented from having the chance to play the ball in dead-ball situations. There will also be greater scrutiny on time-wasting with particular focus on goal kicks and substitutions.

The Premier League want to see a rise in last season’s average ball-in-play time of 55.07 minutes and to help facilitate this will also use a multi-ball system at each match. Ten balls will be available – one on the pitch, one with the fourth official and eight more will be stationed around the pitch on cones so play can be restarted more quickly.