Liverpool had a goal incorrectly ruled out and then, after being reduced to nine players, saw Joel Matip concede a 96th-minute own goal as Tottenham triumphed 2-1 in a Premier League thriller to go second in the table above their rivals Arsenal.
But it all could have been different and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had already slammed “the most unfair circumstances, crazy decisions,” before referee body PGMOL officially apologised for Luis Diaz’s first-half strike being disallowed for offside.
It was later revealed VAR mistakenly believed that the on-field decision had been to award the goal. This resulted in VAR Darren England, despite realising that Diaz was onside, relaying a message of ‘check complete’ and the goal being ruled out.
Their statement on Saturday night read: “The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention. However, the VAR failed to intervene.”
Reacting to the admission, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said: “That is unbelievable. It is a really, really, bad one. That is very significant. I’ve been asking ‘have we got the right cameras at these stadiums?’ – we never seem to be in line anymore.
“I’ve defended VAR as being a matter of fact but there’s been two or three in the last few weeks where I’ve felt behind the scenes the angle wasn’t right.”
