Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes it is appropriate to replay the Saturday match against Tottenham Hotspur. However, the Premier League is unlikely to heed Klopp’s request for a rematch following the controversial use of VAR during the game.
The PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) acknowledged a significant human error that led to Luis Diaz’s legitimate goal being disallowed, despite him being onside as he skillfully scored from a tight angle in the first half. This goal would have given Liverpool a 1-0 lead, but Spurs eventually won the match 2-1.
The audio recording of communication between on-field and VAR officials was released on Tuesday, revealing that the officials at Stockley Park realized their mistake moments after the game had resumed with a Tottenham free-kick.
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Despite requests to halt the match, VAR officials maintained that nothing could be rectified since the game had resumed, even though no significant actions had occurred during the time they had realized their mistake.
In his pre-match press conference before Liverpool’s Europa League encounter with Union Saint-Gilloise, Jurgen Klopp expressed his belief that replaying the game would be the appropriate course of action.
Klopp stated, “The argument against that probably will be that if you open that gate then everybody will ask for it. I think the situation is that unprecedented that it didn’t happen before.”
“Something like that, as far as I can remember, never happened that’s why I think a replay would be the right thing.”
“If it would happen again then I think the replay would be the right thing to do, or the ref has the opportunity to bring both coaches together and say ‘sorry we made a mistake but we can sort it, let Liverpool score a goal and we start from there’.”
However, according to reports from the PA news agency, the Premier League has made it clear that they will not entertain the idea of replaying the game. Tottenham Hotspur emerged victorious in the match, with Son Heung-min providing the lead for the hosts.
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Cody Gakpo managed to equalize for Liverpool just before halftime, but Liverpool found themselves with only nine players on the field in the second half after Diogo Jota received two yellow cards.
In the dying moments of stoppage time, a Joel Matip own goal handed Tottenham the victory, elevating them above Liverpool into second place and leaving them just one point behind league leaders Manchester City.
As they head into their final Premier League match before the international break, the Reds remain two points behind City, with a trip to Brighton scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
