But Emery believes that such mistakes should just be accepted and that Liverpool must move on from this injustice. The Aston Villa boss acknowledges that while VAR has its flaws, it has significantly reduced the number of errors compared to the time before its introduction.
He stated: “Before when we didn’t have VAR, there were a lot of mistakes — more than now. Now I can accept some mistakes in VAR. There are only a few… small mistakes. Of course, for Liverpool, it was a big mistake in the last match against Tottenham but we have to accept because before, without VAR, there were more and more and more.
“I listened to the conversation between the referees, because it’s popular, and they were concerned about their mistake but they couldn’t react they had started playing again. It’s a mistake. I accept it. Of course, for Liverpool it is more difficult. For Jürgen too it’s more difficult but I accept it. I know before VAR came in there were more mistakes than now. But you have to accept it like before if there is a mistake.”
Emery also drew attention to a similar incident involving Aston Villa during the 2019/20 season when Sheffield United had a goal disallowed due to a failure in the goal-line technology system. Despite being entitled to a win, the match ended in a 0-0 draw. This serves as a reminder that errors have always been part of the game, and accepting them is essential.
While Klopp’s call for a replay may be driven by a desire for fairness and sporting integrity, Emery stands firm in his belief that accepting mistakes is a fundamental aspect of football. He concluded: “You have to accept it like before if there is a mistake. So no, no (to a replay). You have to accept it like before when we were without VAR
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