The controversial disallowance of Liverpool forward Luis Diaz’s goal during the Premier League clash against Tottenham has been explained, and it’s a rather embarrassing revelation for the referees’ body, PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited).
PGMOL issued a statement after the match, admitting a “significant human error” led to Diaz’s first-half goal being incorrectly ruled out.
Diaz believed he had given Liverpool, who were reduced to ten men after Curtis Jones’ earlier red card, the lead with a superb finish past Tottenham’s goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
However, the assistant referee raised the flag for offside.
A surprisingly swift VAR check by Darren England followed, but notably, the customary offside line graphic was not shown.
At halftime, broadcaster beIN SPORTS aired footage that seemed to indicate Diaz was actually onside when the ball was played to him.
This moment turned out to be pivotal in the match. Despite valiant efforts from Liverpool, who played with nine men after Diogo Jota’s second bookable offense led to his red card, they lost the game 2-1.
Son Heung-min opened the scoring for Spurs in the 36th minute, and Cody Gakpo equalized just before halftime.
In the dying seconds of the game, Joel Matip’s unfortunate own goal handed all three points to Ange Postecoglou’s side, leaving Jurgen Klopp’s team frustrated.
Jurgen Klopp on Luis Diaz’s goal statement by PGMOL
Klopp responded to PGMOL’s statement, saying,
“We will not get points for it, so it doesn’t help. I think what everyone wants is, not everybody expects 100% right decisions on field, but I think we all thought when VAR comes in, it might make things easier.”
This incident is undeniably one of the most significant VAR errors since its introduction.
ESPN’s Dale Johnson has now revealed the precise reason behind the disallowance of Diaz’s goal, further intensifying the embarrassment for PGMOL and the frustration for Liverpool.
Dale Johnson explains how the Error occurred
Johnson explained that the VAR, Darren England, checked for offside, believing the on-field decision was “goal.”
This check was made swiftly because it was evident that Diaz was onside, and England informed the referee that the “check was complete,” effectively confirming the on-field decision was correct.
The “human error” in this case lay in the VAR team misunderstanding the on-field decision, not in failing to draw lines or analyze the situation.
The lines were drawn, and Diaz was clearly onside. The significant and astonishing error was in misinterpreting the initial on-field decision.
Once Spurs took the free-kick for the offside, which they were set up for, the decision could not be reversed.
One can only imagine the reaction in the VAR room when that free-kick was taken.
This revelation is undoubtedly a shocking turn of events and raises questions about the impact of such decisions on Liverpool’s title ambitions, as they could have moved to the top of the Premier League table with a victory.
However, they currently sit fourth in the league, one point behind second-placed Spurs and two points behind leaders Manchester City.
