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Liverpool have asked the Premier League to review the use of VAR in a dramatic and highly controversial Merseyside derby that left Virgil van Dijk and Thiago Alcântara requiring scans for suspected knee injuries.
Jürgen Klopp was outraged after the champions were denied the winning goal in the 92nd minute at Goodison Park and Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford escaped punishment for a terrible foul that ended Van Dijk’s involvement in just six minutes. The VAR did not review a possible red card for Pickford for serious foul play and canceled Jordan Henderson’s injury time for a fraction offside decision against Sadio Mané.
Liverpool contacted the Premier League for an explanation as to why Pickford’s challenge was not analyzed, which part of Mané’s body was deemed offside, and when the VAR decided to freeze the frame in their review of the discount time.
To add to Klopp’s ire, Thiago was injured by a dangerous foul by Richarlison that drew a direct red card for the Everton forward. The signing of Bayern Munich and Van Dijk were sent for scans, and Liverpool feared both would suffer knee injuries.
“I’ve done a lot of interviews now and it’s getting harder and harder to accept,” Klopp said. “It was the best away derby we’ve played since I’ve been here. There was good football, we dealt with Everton’s specific strengths and our goals were brilliant. Later, when I leave the field, Thiago tells me that in the red card situation Richarlison thinks he was injured. Then I go into the locker room and people are standing around a laptop and I say, ‘What’s up?’ and they say: ‘We have seen it back and we do not understand why it is offside.’
“I am a true VAR fan but in the only image I saw there is no offside. Since then I have had 10 interviews and they all tell me it was not an offside and that does not lift my spirits. We lost a player in a situation where the VAR was not involved with Virgil and maybe another in the red card situation and we scored a legitimate goal that didn’t count. It wasn’t our day, but the performance was the performance I wanted to see. “
The Liverpool manager admitted he was puzzled that he had not reviewed Pickford’s foul on van Dijk. He added: “It was a clear penalty and then the flag was raised for offside. I thought they would still look at the fault, but that didn’t happen. I don’t mean that Jordan Pickford wanted to do it, but it’s not a challenge that a goalkeeper can do in the area. If it is not offside, it is a 100% penalty ”.
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Carlo Ancelotti, the Everton coach, defended another erratic display from Pickford, but insisted he had not reviewed the Van Dijk incident. “He played a good game, like the other players,” Ancelotti said. “He made good saves, he was focused and it was a good performance. Unfortunately, Van Dijk was injured. I hope he recovers well and soon ”.
