Jurgen Klopp wants Tottenham vs Liverpool replayed due to VAR error

• Oct 5, 2023

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes that Saturday’s loss at Tottenham Hotspur should be replayed due to the incorrect decision to disallow an opening goal from Luis Diaz.

The Reds were reduced to ten men midway through the first half but thought they had taken a shock lead when Diaz raced beyond the last line of the Spurs defence and fired beyond Guglielmo Vicario, only to be denied by an offside flag.

VAR Darren England checked the decision believing that Diaz’s goal had been ruled onside by the on-field officials, confirming what he believed was the opener. However, when play restarted with a Tottenham free-kick, he realised an error had been made, as revealed in audio released by PGMOL on Tuesday.

Liverpool swiftly conceded to Son Heung-min before Cody Gakpo equalised just before half-time. But the visitors were beaten in the final minute of second half stoppage time when Joel Matip turned the ball into his own net.

Liverpool were denied a goal / Marc Atkins/GettyImages

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday ahead of Liverpool’s Europa League encounter with Union Saint-Gilloise, Klopp revealed he would like the match against Tottenham to be replayed.

“The audio didn’t change it [our feelings] at all because I was not interested in why things happened, I knew, I saw the outcome, I saw a goal we scored and did not count, so I was not waiting for the audio and hoping I could find out how it could happen,” he began.

“What I want to say is it’s really important that we, as big as football is and important as it is for us at least, really deal with it in a proper way.

“I mean all of the people involved – on-field ref, linesman, fourth official, and especially now in this case the VAR – they didn’t do that on purpose and we should not forget that.

“Yes, it was a mistake, an obvious mistake, and I think there would have been solutions for it afterwards, if not maybe not immediately, some people do not want me to say that, not as the manager of Liverpool but as a football person, I think the only outcome should be a replay. That’s how it is, probably will not happen.

“The argument against that will probably be if we open that gate, then everyone will ask for it. I think the situation is that unprecedented that it didn’t happen before. I’m 56 years old, 50 years in football and I’m absolutely used to wrong decisions, difficult decisions, all these kinds of things.”