Tottenham v Liverpool Match Controversy – PGMOL and VAR Mistake

Tottenham v Liverpool match controversy shook the football community last weekend. The two clubs became victims of one of the most unfair games in the English Premier League history, with referees making a series of questionable decisions, to say the least. 

On September 30, Tottenham hosted Liverpool in the sixth round of the 2023/24 Premier League season. It seemed like another EPL match at the start but quickly turned into a hot topic that is still on everyone’s lips. What happened during the game, so everyone’s talking about the necessity to change the system? Why do online sportsbooks in the UK make predictions about the possibility of a rematch, something that has never happened before?

Tottenham v Liverpool Match Controversy

It all started on the 26th minute of the game. After having Curtis Jones sent off, Liverpool managed to score a goal courtesy of Mohamed Salah’s assist and Luis Diaz’s forward abilities. The goal was disallowed for offside that Diaz got into. However, everyone who watched the game and saw the replay (which strangely was the only replay shown), could clearly see that Diaz was at least half a meter onside in relation to Tottenham’s defender Romero. 

Almost everyone who had live watchalongs of that game on YouTube noticed that Diaz was onside and vocally declared that. What was also noticed was that VAR did not even draw the lines which is a shambolic mistake. Sky Sports in fact did not show that replay and only briefly mentioned right before the second half. 

As a result, Liverpool lost the game with a 1:2 score, down to 9 players, partially due to some of the most ridiculous decisions by Simon Hooper who refereed the game. Right after the final whistle, Diaz’s disallowed goal was brought to attention because simply if that goal was counted, as it should have been, the game might have ended in a draw. However, one must know that the club scored the first goal 2 minutes after Diaz’s disallowed goal. 

Aftermath 

The disallowed goal scored by Luis Diaz during Saturday’s game of Tottenham v Liverpool has been a hot topic for a while now and the degree has not fallen down yet.

Many call it one of the biggest referee mistakes in football in the 2020s. Besides that, there are so many things that need to be considered and even more things that might have to be changed or altered. Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), an organization responsible for refereeing games in English football, issued a statement that ‘a human error’ occurred during the game which led to the goal being disallowed. 

Liverpool’s official response

After the Tottenham v Liverpool match controversy, Spurs released the statement that they understand the pressure referees work under, however, they still consider what happened unacceptable:

“It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined.”

Obviously, Liverpool were not satisfied with the PGMOL’s stance on that issue. Moreover, by saying that the integrity of football was undermined, Liverpool claim that it is not just their problem but every club’s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF8e6gFuAbY&pp=ygUMSnVyZ2VuIEtsb3Bw

At the end of Liverpool’s statement, there is an even more courageous phrase written: 

“In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.” 

Liverpool are not ready to just brush it off like many other teams that have been mistreated by referees in the EPL and that is arguably a good thing. Jurgen Klopp said in his Europa League interview that he would love that game to be replayed as a football fan, but he knows that it is impossible as a football manager. Some fans and experts can disagree with him, plus there are odds at Betway for a rematch to take place.

What does the Liverpool case mean for the EPL?

That Tottenham v Liverpool match controversy & disallowed goal might become the catalyst for changes in VAR rules that many football fans have wanted. The Premier League is the only tournament that decided not to implement the semi-automatic offside technology, which proved to be successful at the last World Cup. Who knows but that incident might even lead to scrapping VAR in England for good.

If you keep following the EPL after the Tottenham v Liverpool match controversy, you might need our online betting tips in the UK to place your bets.

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