Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is understandably insisting for the Liverpool v Tottenham fixture to be replayed after a VAR error saw the Reds’ opening goal wrongly ruled offside before they suffered a narrow defeat.
Outraged over the shambolic incident, Klopp wants to see the match replayed after the VAR error saw Luis Diaz’s goal wrongfully disallowed.
The 56-year-old Klopp had received wide praise for his salutary response to such a grave mistake resulting in Diaz being flagged as offside before PGMOL later publicly admitted the wrong decision was made. The refereeing body has since published audio of the officials discussing the events that led up to that decision, which has caused further consternation among fans and pundits alike.
“They didn’t do it on purpose and we shouldn’t forget that,” Klopp has since told reporters. “Yes, it was a mistake. An obvious mistake. I think there would have been solutions. I think the outcome should be a replay. Probably won’t happen.
“As far as I can remember, something like that never happened, that’s why I think a replay should be played.”
Referee Darren England and his assistant Dan Cook were conducting the VAR review after Diaz was flagged as offside. Then a miscommunication with on-field referee Simon Hooper ensued, which meant play resumed without the goal being given, and about 30 second passed before it sunk in that a serious mistake had occurred.
England and Cook were each removed from Premier League duties on Sunday and Monday, together with the upcoming weekend of top-flight fixtures. Last Saturday’s clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium might have had a far different result had Diaz’s goal stood, with the teams tied at 0-0 and Liverpool already a man down at the time.
Ange Postecoglou’s men snatched all three points after Joel Matip’s last-minute own-goal, despite a valiant Reds effort coping with the game with nine men left on the field. The horrendous gaffe has gone down as arguably the biggest VAR blunder to date, and Klopp suggested that replaying the fixture is the only sensible solution.
“Not as the manager of Liverpool so much, more as a football person,” Klopp continued. “I think the only outcome should be a replay. That’s how it is. Probably will not happen.”
The newly published audio between the officials at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium revealed the group felt their hands were tied due to the fact play had already been allowed to carry on. However, the incident has been decried as an example of red tape run amok, with referees feeling unable to be flexible at a time when it was needed most.
It remains up for debate when Liverpool and Tottenham might expect to replay the fixture given Klopp himself has been critical of England’s packed schedule in the past. Playing the game for a second time would represent an unprecedented decision from the officials, who have already accepted blame for the blunder.