Liverpool’s VAR error against Tottenham is fatal – Jurgen Klopp reacts to offside and red card

“It almost feels like fate,” Klopp said, looking at the dramatic stoppage time. “Joel was exceptionally good today. He put his foot out a little and the ball went into the goal. But there are worse things in life. That’s the way it goes.”

Indeed: Matip’s own goal was a stab in the heart for the Reds, but the biggest surprise of the evening was due to video evidence and referee Simon Hooper – as Klopp also made clear.

Klopp said on Sky Sports about his team’s performance, which played more than 70 minutes and made things difficult for Tottenham: “I have never been as proud of my team as I am today.” “But I have never seen a match like this before, under very unfair circumstances and crazy decisions.”

It was the 24th minute when Curtis Jones threw all his weight on the ankle of Tottenham player Yves Bissouma. Referee Hooper initially showed the young Englishman a yellow card, but the VAR asked him to look at the scene again on the screen. No sooner was it said and done – the referee changed his mind and sent Jones straight to the bathroom.

“Kurtis climbs onto the ball and slides over it. It wasn’t a bad tackle,” Klopp said, describing the situation from his point of view. “It looks different in slow motion. He’s going straight at the ball and shooting over it. It’s unfortunate.”

Gary Neville, the former Manchester United player and current Sky pundit, agreed with Klopp and criticized Hooper and Co. for the decision. Neville commented on the scene during the live broadcast, saying: “No, no, no. I know when you take someone down. I did it myself – and he didn’t want it.”

“They show the finishing move, which looks bad, but that’s not what happened,” Neville said, criticizing the images provided by VAR. “His foot slipped off the ball. It’s not a red card, but he’ll get one and that will probably spoil the game.”

Neville was correct in predicting a red card, but the quality of the match was not affected by the card. Liverpool even rallied when outnumbered and took the lead after just a few minutes – but instead of 1-0, the next upset of the evening was on the agenda.

In the 35th minute, Mohamed Salah sent fellow striker Luis Diaz a steep pass, and the Colombian placed the ball accurately into the lower left corner from a tight angle. But the Reds’ joy did not last long, as the referee ruled the match due to offside. The VAR did not report this time and, despite the difficult conditions, the game continued a few moments later – but official images did not appear live.

Klopp responded to the controversial scene: “I entered the dressing room at halftime and one of my assistants opened his cell phone. The first picture on Instagram: There is no offside.” We also saw that in the match, and it was 100% clear to us.”

“When you see the pictures, it’s not offside. They drew their lines wrong,” Klopp criticized VAR.

But Klopp did not want to defame the referee because of this. “We cannot hold him responsible for that,” the former Dortmund player explained. “Whoever committed the mistake certainly did not commit it intentionally.”

Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool midfield engine, was a bit harsher with the referees. “If you have to wait too long for an answer after a controversial decision, know that someone has made a mistake,” the 2005 Champions League winner wrote on X/Twitter during the match, according to the English Referees’ Association (PGMOL). ) He did not provide any official photos of the scene.

In the end, Al-Ittihad issued a statement and admitted the error in the offside decision.

“PGMOL acknowledges that serious human error occurred in the first half between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool,” the statement read. “Diaz’s goal was disallowed by the team on the pitch due to offside. This was a clear and realistic foul and should have been reversed using VAR. But VAR did not intervene.”

“PMGOL will conduct a full investigation into the circumstances leading to this error. PMGOL will contact Liverpool immediately after the match to confirm the error.”

A sincere apology from the League – but it does not give Liverpool the points they lost. Klopp asked in the press conference: “Who does this help now?” “There was also a similar situation between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Did they get points for that? It doesn’t help.”

Klopp continued: “We will not get any points for this. He added, “No one expects that the decisions on the field will be 100 percent correct. But I think we all thought that the video assistant referee technology would make things easier.”