Jurgen Klopp wasn’t happy with the referee last night, as Liverpool crashed out of the Carabao Cup.
The Reds came up just short against Manchester City in a well-fought game at the Etihad Stadium, losing 3-2. City were deserving winners in the end, no doubt. But, speaking after the game via liverpoolfc.com, Klopp suggested that the officiating for the game wasn’t the best.
“We were 1-0 down, scored our goal, a wonderful goal. [We] had good football moments, before the goal already we caused them problems as well. So, 1-1 result, OK, half-time,” he began.
“The second half starts and I don’t know how many minutes were played and they scored the second goal. By the way, the first chance of Haaland at the start of the game, first half, was offside wasn’t it? Yes, it was. That gives the game a direction, that’s like the first situation, boom, oh my God, they are through. It was offside but nobody whistled, no flag up in all the build-up, it gives you a bad feeling, just to say that.
“But then the second half, the goal, they scored that. We should have defended all three goals much better. This one, not in the last moment because when Riyad takes the ball with the first touch it’s just world-class and I respect that a lot. But before, on the side, we should be in better positions, on the other side.”
Plenty happened in the match after Haaland’s shot barely 15 seconds in. But Jurgen’s doesn’t forget these things!
Maybe VAR isn’t so bad after all
There was plenty not to like about referee David Coote’s performance last night, actually. However, this decision wasn’t one of them.
To our eye, Haaland was onside when he raced through inside the first minute. Caoimhin Kelleher rushed out and Liverpool got lucky that the goal machine was still getting his eye in.
That aside though, the game was a good advert for why we do actually need VAR in the game. The video assistant wasn’t available for last night’s game, and it’s amazing how quickly you get used to looking at decisions again and again.
Coote could certainly have done with a second-look at Rodri’s kick out and subsequent push on Fabio Carvalho in the first half. As the City midfielder then floored Fabinho with a similar push later in the game, the VAR may have seen things differently.
Liverpool also had a penalty appeal waved away in the second half. Nathan Ake’s challenge on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fell very much into the ‘seen them given’ category, and VAR may have agreed with that, too.
Either way, for all its deficiencies, VAR is obviously something useful. Once again exclusively reliant on the eyes of the officials, Liverpool and Klopp found that out the hard way last night.
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