Liverpool’s recent defeat to Tottenham Hotspur left the team and its fans feeling aggrieved and frustrated due to a series of controversial decisions by the match officials. The most glaring error occurred when Luis Díaz had a goal incorrectly disallowed for offside in the first half (we’ll highlight all the mistakes and controversies in bold).
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) later admitted that this decision was a “significant human error” and apologized to Liverpool for the mistake. However, this was not the only questionable decision that impacted the outcome of the match.
In addition to the disallowed goal, Liverpool finished the game with nine men after Curtis Jones received a straight red card in the first half and Diogo Jota picked up two quick bookings in the second half. Neither were straightforward.
First, the red card shown to Jones was a contentious decision. Initially booked for a foul on Yves Bissouma, the referee upgraded it to a red card after reviewing the tackle on the VAR monitor. While the slow-motion replays (and the still that was the first thing shown to Simon Hooper on the monitor) made the challenge appear dangerous, in real-time it seemed like a 50/50 challenge with Jones winning the ball. The decision to send him off remains open to interpretation.
Jota’s first yellow card was given for an alleged trip on Destiny Udogie. However, upon review, it was evident that Udogie had already tripped over his own feet before any contact from Jota. His second yellow card, resulting in his dismissal, was deserved as he made a reckless tackle in an attempt to regain possession.
