Were they penalties? Evaluating the biggest calls from Liverpool-Tottenham

It took referee Jonathan Moss nearly two-and-a-half minutes to reach what would be the most controversial decision of Sunday's manic 2-2 draw between Liverpool and Tottenham.

After conferring with linesman Edward Smart on the near touchline, Moss came to the conclusion that Harry Kane earned Spurs a penalty. The million-pound question was whether Kane had been in an offside position before being clipped by Loris Karius en route to goal.

Kane was most certainly offside when Dele Alli played the initial pass into him, but the situation appeared to change when Dejan Lovren got involved. The Serbian defender made contact with the ball as he attempted to intercept it, leading some to believe that he had inadvertently played Kane onside.

(Courtesy: @markenello)

The Spurs striker ended up missing the penalty, but debate over the call persisted.

Related: Furious Klopp lambastes officials after controversial penalties

According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), a player previously in an offside position is forgiven if he or she receives the ball from an opponent who's deliberately played it. What's up for discussion is whether Lovren's touch can be defined as "deliberate." He may have made a clear attempt to play the ball, but failed to change the course of the pass and certainly didn't intend for it to reach Kane.

Moss wasn't even 100 percent sure if Lovren had made contact, or influenced the play at all.

Here's how the exchange between Smart and Moss went down:

Smart: I cannot be sure if he (Lovren) even touched the ball or not. ... I need to clarify if Lovren touched the ball. If he has, it's a deliberate action and therefore it's a penalty. If he has not, he's offside.

Moss: I have no idea whether he even touched the ball or not. I'm giving the penalty, mate.

If it was a penalty, the next question is whether Karius should have been sent off. In previous years, players who denied clear goal-scoring opportunities were penalised with a red card. But that's no longer in place. IFAB eased the rule in 2016 so that players are only dismissed if they commit a handball or a professional foul in the process of conceding a penalty.

By rushing out of his net to gain possession, Karius clearly made an attempt to win the ball and therefore deserved nothing more than a yellow card. Unfortunately, Moss neglected to caution the German shot-stopper.

The controversy didn't end there. In the 94th minute, Moss determined that Virgil van Dijk fouled Erik Lamela in the penalty area, and awarded Spurs a second penalty. Kane buried this one to split the points.

At first, it was simply a matter of establishing whether Lamela dove. From one side angle, it looked like Van Dijk made minimal, if any contact. But an alternative view proved that the Dutchman did indeed catch Lamela.

(Courtesy: @SamBinch)

Well after the match, images emerged showing Lamela in an offside position mere moments before Van Dijk's challenge. It would've been nearly impossible to make the call without the help of a Video Assistant Referee. Not only was Lamela ever-so-slightly off, Smart's line of vision was also blocked by Andy Robertson.

(Courtesy: @Stephenge3978)

So, after all of the confusion and mud-slinging, the one thing that's certain is that Premier League officials have a difficult and unenvious job. The first call can be considered the correct one, and while the second is understandable, video replay would've most likely denied Kane a chance for redemption.