Liverpool have been criticised by Gary Neville for their ‘aggressive’ statement blasting the PGMOL.
Everyone connected with the club has been left feeling aggrieved since their 2-1 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday, a match that was filled with controversy.
Many feel Curtis Jones was hard done by to receive a straight red card for a challenge on Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma early on, while it’s been suggested the first yellow card Diogo Jota picked up before being dismissed for a second bookable defence wasn’t deserved.
But the major flashpoint from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium came in the 33rd minute when Luis Diaz’s goal wasn’t awarded despite replays showing he was on onside.
The Colombian was flagged offside by referee Simon Hooper’s assistant but the incident was reviewed by VAR. Although replays show Diaz was onside when the ball was passed to him the on-field decision was inexplicably upheld.
Moments after Liverpool’s last-gasp defeat was confirmed, the PGMOL admitted the decision was wrong and VAR Darren England as well as assistant Dan Cook have been removed from their next Premier League outings.
This hasn’t appeased Liverpool, who issued a furious statement on Sunday evening, calling for change and suggesting the decision to not award the Diaz goal ‘undermind sporting integrity.’
The club also said it would ‘explore the range of options available’, and Neville believes Liverpool have made a mistake with the nature of their statement.
Neville posted on X: “Jurgen Klopp handled the situation well last night after the game. Most football fans will have had empathy with what happened and recognised it was wrong!
“However Liverpool’s statement tonight is a mistake! Talk of exploring all options (what does that mean!!!) and sporting integrity are dangerous phrases along with being vague and aggressive.
“Sorry we f***** up was enough!! I said this last night. Sorry should be respected and not undervalued.
“This is a snap reaction that can always be wrong but I feel strongly about it.”
Liverpool fell behind moments after the Diaz goal controversy through Heung-min Son’s goal but Cody Gakpo levelled the scores on the stroke of half time.
It appeared the Reds, who finished the match with nine men, were going to get a valuable point but an own goal by Joel Matip in stoppage time consigned them to their first defeat of the season.