Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp wants Tottenham clash replayed over VAR blunder

Liverpool boss Jugen Klopp says his team's match against Tottenham should be replayed after a VAR blunder. Credit: PA Images

Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp has called for the team's match against Tottenham to be replayed after a VAR error cost them the opening goal.

Officials wrongly disallowed Luis Diaz’s 34th-minute goal due to a misunderstanding of the on-field decision.

In an audio recording of the VAR failure official Darren England can be heard stating Diaz was onside but accidentally confirming the referee's original decision to disallow the goal.

The Premier Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) released the audio conversation after a request from Liverpool but Klopp said that had made little difference to their thinking.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of their Europa League game against Union Saint-Gilloise, the manager said: “The audio didn’t change it at all. It is an obvious mistake.

“I think there should be solutions for that. I think the outcome should be a replay.

“The argument against that would be it opens the gates. It is unprecedented, it has not happened before.

“I’m 56 years old and I’m absolutely used to wrong decisions, difficult decisions but something like that as far as I can remember has never happened.

"That’s why I think the replay would be the right thing.

“The next argument would be if it would happen again, I think a replay would be the right thing to do or the referee has the opportunity to bring both coaches together and say ‘sorry, we made a mistake, but we can sort it, that Liverpool score a goal and we start from there’.”

When asked whether the club had asked - or would ask - the Premier League for a replay formally, Klopp added: “At this stage we are still going through the information we have.”

The PGMOL issued a statement admitting that a “significant human error” had led to a Liverpool goal being disallowed. Credit: PA Images

Klopp said it would have been much better to have corrected the mistake the moment it happened and said he wants a protocol put in place to avoid similar problems recurring.

“If you have this situation first time, you try to understand, and try to find a solution, but that doesn’t solve the problem," he added.

"How can we sort not just for the future, but this situation?

“If that would happen again, I would say replay. Or much, much better than a replay – sort it in that moment. Common sense.

“If a replay happens or not, it’s just my opinion.”

The manager stressed he did not want to single out the individuals involved for the errors made, but wanted to find a solution within the framework of the system which would prevent something similar recurring in future.

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

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

“I’m not angry with any of them (the officials), not at all. It’s not only the respect, but the only thing for human beings in general is we should not go for them. It’s not allowed to go for them in any way.

“They made a mistake and they felt horrible that night, I’m 100 per cent sure. That’s enough for me. Nobody needs further punishment. We should discuss it on a completely normal basis without emotions.”