Jurgen Klopp calls for replay of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool clash

LONDON – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has called for an unlikely replay of

his side’s Premier League match with Tottenham Hotspur

, after officials admitted that a VAR (video assistant referee) blunder had cost the Reds a goal.

On Tuesday, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL)

released the audio from the VAR hub

from last Saturday’s fixture in north London, and said that a lapse of concentration by the officials in charge led to Liverpool not being awarded a legitimate goal when the match was at 0-0.

The Reds should have taken the lead in the first half through Luis Diaz, who scored before seeing that the assistant referee had flagged for offside.

The forward was actually onside but confusion and miscommunication in the VAR hub about the original decision led to the game restarting with a free kick to Spurs rather than Liverpool being awarded a goal.

Tottenham won 2-1 in the end.

Speaking on Wednesday ahead of his side’s Europa League home clash against Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday, Klopp appeared calm but was clear in what he felt should be the solution.

“The audio didn’t change it at all because I was not really interested in why things happen. I saw the outcome, I saw a goal, and then I saw it didn’t count. So it’s really important that we deal with it in a proper way,” he said.

“They (the officials) didn’t do it on purpose and we shouldn’t forget that. Yes, it was a mistake. An obvious mistake. I think there would have been solutions. I think the outcome should be a replay. But it probably won’t happen.

“As far as I remember, something like that (a big mistake) never happened, that’s why a replay should be played.”

What transpired in the audio released on Tuesday was that the VAR hub incorrectly communicated “check complete”, confirming the on-field offside decision. The officials realised their error only after the match had restarted.

In the recording, VAR official Darren England said “check complete, check complete. That’s fine, perfect” before his assistant Daniel Cook and the replay operator questioned whether the correct decision was made.

England then uttered an expletive when he realised the error but also said that “they’ve restarted the game... can’t do anything, can’t do anything”.

Referees’ body PGMOL later admitted it was the wrong decision, blaming it on human error, and “should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention”.

Liverpool were understandably furious and

said on Sunday that “sporting integrity has been undermined”

and that they would explore their options given the “clear need for escalation and resolution”.

England and Cook, meanwhile, have not been assigned any games this weekend.

“I’m not angry with any of them, not at all. We should not go for them,” Klopp added. “They made a mistake and I’m sure they felt horrible that night.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said that regardless of what happens now, the Reds are focused on their match on Thursday.

“Decisions are decisions. Sometimes they go for you and sometimes against you,” he said.

“What happened at the weekend was very disappointing and frustrating but there’s nothing we can do as players now. The game has gone. We just have to move forward.” REUTERS, AFP