Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has slammed the refereeâs decision to avoid sending off Tottenhamâs winner Lukas Bergvall for a challenge on Kostas Tsimikas during the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
Bergvall scored the only goal as Liverpool lost to Spurs and gained the advantage heading into the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. The 18-year-old was initially given a late challenge on Luis Diaz in the 68th minute by referee Stuart Attwell.
Moments before the goal, Bergvallâs late lunge on Tsimikas led to play being stopped and the Liverpool left-back sent off from the pitch, temporarily reducing the away teamâs number to 10 players. With Tsimikas watching from the sidelines, Spurs hit back with Bergvallâs finish and took a narrow lead heading into the return leg at Anfield on Thursday, February 6.
Van Dijk, who faced officials at full time after the match, was adamant that Bergvall should have been suspended for a second time.
âI think it was obvious that it would be a second yellow,â Van Dijk said. sky sports.
âI think it was pretty clear, of course. [from what I said to the referee]. It was no coincidence that he scored the winning goal a minute later.
âhe [Atwell] He made a mistake in my opinion and I told him that. I think it was very obvious and everyone on the sideline knew it should have been a yellow.
âThereâs the linesman there, thereâs the fourth official, thereâs VAR there and the referee and they didnât give him the second yellow. âIâm not saying thatâs why we lost today. âNo, but it was a big moment during the game.â â
Liverpool manager Arne Slott spoke of his captainâs frustration at the winning goal.
âHis (Atwell) decisions had a huge impact on the outcome tonight,â Slott said. sky sports. âI think
Everyone will tell you this.
âItâs not ideal, not just for us, that we conceded (that goal) and even the player who scored it probably should have gotten a second yellow card. I donât know, maybe I think even the referee was like, âYeah.ââ Is this really happening? Is he scoring?
So, whatâs the goal?
âThe fourth official told me why he thought it wasnât a second yellow. Of course he probably heard that from the referee. If he stops a counter-attack with a reckless challenge, he can still give a yellow, but he didnât.â Doesnât seem like it.
Itâs a reckless challenge. â
Spursâ controversial goal: Why did Liverpool want Bergvall sent off?
68: Lucas Bergvall was shown a yellow card for a sliding challenge on Liverpoolâs Luis Diaz.
84: Bergvall slides into Kostas Tsimikas. Referee Stuart Attwell took advantage of the play and Darwin Nunez sent a shot on target. Play was then stopped so that Tsimikas could receive treatment, but despite protests from Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, Bergvall was not penalized.
86: Two minutes and five seconds after Bergvallâs tackle, he gives the Spurs a breakthrough, while Tsimikas waits on the sideline to return to the field after treatment. Liverpoolâs coach was cautioned by referee Attwell for complaining about the situation. Spursâ goal came directly from an irrefutable dropped ball.
âIt doesnât make senseâ: What the experts saidâŠ
Michael Dawson talks about Sky Sports football:
âIf Stuart Attwell gets the first one right, he puts himself in an advantageous position. I donât think the first one is a yellow card. It gives him a chance and a decision.
âThe second card should have been a yellow card. If one is right and one is wrong, you canât even be equal.â
JiĆĂ Christiansen talks about Sky Sports Football:
âThe second time is worse than the first. It makes no sense.â
Jamie Redknapp talks about Sky Sports Football:
âIt has a significant impact on the remaining games. He will have to miss out for treatment and Liverpool will play with 10 men, meaning that not only will Bergvall still be on the pitch, but also , Liverpool have to play with 10 men.
âBut Spurs certainly take it seriously.â
Ange calls for protests over changes in soccer. âDid that announcement become a hot topic?â
Attwell had earlier used the street address system in a historic moment for English football to announce that Spurs striker Dominic Solankeâs 76th-minute goal had been ruled out for offside.
Attwell communicated the decision to the crowd inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and to television viewers via radio microphone after a VAR review that lasted around two minutes.
But Postecoglou was unimpressed and called on the football world to resist changing the game due to technology.
âIâm really surprised that people in this country allow the game to change so easily and so quickly,â he said. âSince VAR was introduced, more has changed than in the last 50 years. Weâve never talked about so many things before.
âDid everyone really like todayâs announcement? Did it really get people talking?
âI understand that this is what people want. I understand that VAR is coming, technology is coming. But the kids and my wife limit their screen time. Why do we want to change the game so much?â
âI know Iâm going to be the old guy in the stands shouting boos every time thereâs VAR.
âThereâs a lot of confusion going on right now. The game is changing based on technology, so why isnât anyone speaking up about it? You think youâre the custodian of the game. Thereâs going to be a song called âIâm coming home.ââ But itâs the Australians from the other side of the world who are most conservative about change. â
VAR Announcement â Slot: No explanation required for offside
âDue to the VAR decision, he had to tell everyone what his decision was, but unfortunately he didnât have to.â [the second-yellow card Bergvall] decision.
âI donât think anyone needs to explain anything if itâs offside. It would have been more interesting if they had explained why they didnât give a second yellow card!â
The first VAR announcement â how we covered it
Sky Sportsâ Peter Smith at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
âFor the first time, I heard a VAR announcement made by referee Stuart Attwell over the public address system.
âBut the news of the offside decision was drowned out by boos from disgruntled Tottenham fans and cheers from Liverpool fans!
âThe lesson for the future is that a referee blowing his whistle loudly into a live microphone that is amplified throughout the stadium is not a pleasant sound for those listening!!â