I thought the VAR sanctioned decision to award the penalty to Liverpool was way out of order. The theory was that Mane got his foot ahead of the Spurs defender therefore he had priority right before he recieved a whack on his leg. But after reviewing all the angles, it was clear that Mane tripped or was was attemping to trip the Spurs defender in his attempt to get his foot into the mix. It should have been a free out. How on earth it can be a penalty when the defender is in the process of striking the ball and the attecking player sticks his foot in and trips him up, defies justice and the laws.
I think, as the rules stand, this is definitely a penalty (because technically the defender kicked the attacker's leg), however, this is one of those cases that make you wonder about the rule. Mane cleverly won the penalty by deliberately sticking his leg between the defender's kicking foot and the ball. Reminds me of basketball: if you establish position before the opponent, and there is contact, you win the free, regardless of context.
Also reminds me of a very different penalty award in a WC game some years ago between Italy and Australia. Aussie defender had his leg out after a sliding tackle, Italian attacker saw the leg remaining outstretched and ran into it without attempting to avoid it. Clear penalty by the rules, but more a case of a smart attacker taking advantage rather than a defender actually fouling.
