Early on in the repercussions from Saturday’s VAR disaster against Tottenham, people close to Liverpool downplayed the likelihood that a replay would be requested.
Instead, it was claimed that their main focus was on a campaign to enhance the procedures for awarding goals and to change the system that prevented play from being stopped once it became clear that Luis Diaz’s goal had been mistakenly chalked off.
The release of the match officials’ audio, which perfectly captured the turmoil that had caused such a catastrophic blunder, confirmed the reality of that assertion.
But it was believed that the matter would be coming to a close because the PGMOL had pledged to strengthen communication methods after making that statement.
But at his first press conference following the match last weekend, Jurgen Klopp surprised everyone by slamming Liverpool’s initial position that they were willing to concede such minor concessions.
The manager’s strong response was not wholly anticipated, according to some close to him, but there was no big plan for the manager to spearhead a significant change in strategy from the club as a whole.
Before releasing the bombshell, Klopp acknowledged that “some people won’t want me to say” that “the only outcome should be a replay,” not as manager of Liverpool but more as a football person.
The fact that this is a genuinely unprecedented circumstance in the history of English football is, without a doubt, the source of Klopp’s annoyance.
This is not some erroneous or subjective call that the officials later accepted, as there have been numerous in both the pre-VAR and post-VAR eras.
Instead, it was a goal that all parties—most importantly, the officials—agreed was scored but did not factor towards the final tally. Klopp stated, “That goal was scored, legally, in fact.”
You can understand why Klopp might be so eager for a replay because it is comparable to a scoreboard malfunction that somehow affects the outcome.
The German’s news conference’s most important statement was, of course, that he does not anticipate that to occur, which will come as a relief to the Premier League given their expected resistance to such a push.
Some people won’t want me to suggest that the only possible result should be a replay, not as the manager of Liverpool but rather as a fan of football. That’s the way it is, Klopp stated before adding, “It probably won’t happen.
They may also benefit from the lack of a procedure Liverpool would have to follow in order to submit a strong objection with the authorities.
The Reds are unable to file an appeal with the FA or Premier League to have an entire game annulled, unlike in the case of Curtis Jones’ firing from Tottenham.
It will therefore be interesting to observe what happens next, especially given Klopp’s reticence to make clear Liverpool’s intended next actions.
The only point of agreement among the journalists in attendance at Anfield was excitement over the prospect of a story continuing after it first broke on Saturday.
