Premier League cracks down on set-piece grappling
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- Howard Webb and PGMOL have instructed Premier League referees to be "stronger, stricter" on "non-footballing holding actions" at set-pieces, with Webb saying officials should issue "fewer warnings, more actions penalised"
- A quarter of the 20 missed VAR interventions last season were penalties not awarded when a player had been wrestled to the ground off the ball, per the source
- Players were shown two specific clips during pre-season briefings that would now be penalties: Keane Lewis-Potter wrestling Tomas Soucek at the far post, and Luke O'Nien dragging down Pascal Struijk with an arm around the neck
- Set-pieces accounted for a record 25.7% of Premier League goals last season (269 goals), the highest share of any top European league, with Serie A next at 22.3%
- Arsenal led the league with 25 set-piece goals scored and just 7 conceded, while Liverpool conceded a league-high 19 set-piece goals — positioning them as potential beneficiaries of stricter enforcement
- The new approach mirrors the World Cup, where grappling incidents dropped and goalkeepers received greater protection, though Webb said the Premier League will keep a "high threshold" for contact with keepers
Why it matters: With set-pieces producing a record 25.7% of Premier League goals last season, clubs like Liverpool who conceded 19 set-piece goals could benefit from tighter officiating — while Arsenal, who scored 25 and conceded just 7, face the risk of having their dominant set-piece edge neutralized if holding is policed more aggressively.
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