Jamie Carragher delivers his honest verdict on Liverpool’s disallowed goal in Carabao Cup final

Add as preferred source on Google

Liverpool had a goal controversially ruled out during the Carabao Cup final this afternoon.

With the score at 0-0 heading into the last half an hour of the game, Reds captain Virgil van Dijk thought he’d made the breakthrough.

There was certainly nothing wrong with Van Dijk’s header itself. The 31-year-old comfortably beat Ben Chilwell in the air to guid it into the far corner. But on further inspection, the strike was chalked off after Wataru Endo was adjudged to have been blocking Chelsea’s Levi Colwill.

Commentating on the game for Sky Sports, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher deemed the decision ‘incredibly harsh’ on the Reds.

“I think it’s incredibly harsh,” said the 46-year-old. “We see it on almost every set-piece. I could totally get it if it was the guy who was marking Virgil van Dijk, I get that.

“It doesn’t impact Ben Chilwell at all or Virgil van Dijk. Blocking happens on almost every set piece.”

Van Dijk sees big goal disallowed

This was an almost unbelievable decision from the officials. It had looked for all the world as though there was nothing wrong with Van Dijk’s goal.

But as we know these days, you simply can’t celebrate the ball going in the net anymore. Not even in a cup final.

Of course, when the ball comes in, Endo is stood in an offside position. He does get between Colwill and the ball and obviously could be said to be interfering with play.

But as Carragher points out, it’s also very, very unlikely that the Chelsea defender would have been able to do anything to stop Van Dijk from scoring.

How can you disallow a goal in a cup final for something so subjective? It’s so disappointing.

It was a great moment for Van Dijk who deserved his captain’s goal having put in an immense display all afternoon.

Had that been the goal to win the cup, it’s likely that no one in blue would have complained too much.

As it happened, it would have. Neither Liverpool nor Chelsea could find a goal following Van Dijk’s disallowed effort. Extra-time it is.

With the kids now out on the pitch, it feels like a tall order for the Reds now. Carragher wasn’t happy. Jurgen Klopp will be fuming.