Chris Sutton claimed he was ‘astounded’ by Liverpool‘s statement vowing to seek ‘escalation and resolution’ over Luis Diaz‘s wrongly disallowed goal in their controversial 2-1 loss to Tottenham on Saturday.
The Reds were beaten in the last minute of stoppage time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Joel Matip put through his own net to cap off a nightmare game for Jurgen Klopp‘s side that was filled with controversial decisions.
Liverpool were particularly incensed with Diaz’s goal being ruled out for offside, with VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook failing to intervene after a mix-up that saw them mistakenly think the goal was given on-field.
After the PGMOL apologised for the ‘significant human error’, Liverpool released a statement saying they were seeking ‘escalation and resolution’ and that they would ‘explore all options available to them’.
The club have already appealed the red card issued to Curtis Jones after a high tackle on Yves Bissouma while some fans have called for the game to even be replayed amid the controversy over the game.
Chris Sutton said he was ‘astounded’ by Liverpool’s statement about their 2-1 loss to Spurs
The club said they were seeking ‘escalation and resolution’ after Luis Diaz’s goal was wrongly ruled out for offside amid a controversial game
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But Sutton, speaking on It’s All Kicking Off, said he was shocked by Liverpool’s statement as he questioned what they intended to gain from the saga.
After co-host Ian Ladyman asked him if the club needed to ‘let it go’, Sutton responded: ‘I think they do. I was astounded by their statement.
‘Bottom line is: What do they actually want out of this? Where are they going with this? What’s the endgame with this? Are they going to get the points back? No. Do they want accountability? Do they want Howard Webb sacked? Where is this going to lead?
Ladyman chipped in by saying Liverpool were angry about the chaotic nature of the game and the decisions that went against them.
Liverpool were left incensed by the refereeing calls but Sutton questioned what they hoped to achieve by pursuing matters further
Sutton replied: ‘They’re angry and justifiable so. I actually thought Jurgen Klopp spoke very well after the game. It was an error – one of the worst if not the worst error we’ve had since we’ve had VAR but these things are always going to happen when there’s that human involvement.
‘I think they should let it go. They’re not going to get the game replayed are they? They’re not going to get points back because of it. There are decisions made with VAR – look at Brighton last season – they didn’t write any statements.
‘I just don’t know where they’re going with this? Do they want heads on a platter? Where does it end?’
In a furious statement slamming the officiating, the club said: ‘Liverpool Football Club acknowledges PGMOL’s admission of their failures last night. It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined.
Replays showed that the decision was the wrong one, with PGMOL coming out after the match to issue a statement
‘We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR.
‘It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention.
‘That such failings have already been categorised as ‘significant human error’ is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency.’
The statement continued: ‘This is vital for the reliability of future decision making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again.
‘In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.’
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