Liverpool and Manchester City played out a thrilling 1-1 draw on Sunday but Jurgen Klopp’s side could easily have taken all three points in the Premier League title battle had Jeremy Doku’s apparent foul on Alexis Mac Allister been given
Liverpool will have walked away from Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City not quite knowing how they failed to claim all three points.
Jurgen Klopp’s side had several chances to win this top-of-the-table Premier League clash, though failed to land a decisive blow after equalising through Alexis Mac Allister at the start of the second half.
Luis Diaz was most guilty of spurning opportunities during the game, though there could well have been a reprieve in the final minute of stoppage time after Jeremy Doku made contact with Mac Allister inside the penalty area.
Referee Michael Oliver didn’t deem his high foot worthy of a spot-kick, with those on VAR sticking with the on-field decision. Plenty has been said regarding whether or not this was the correct call, with arguments being launched for and against.
Klopp will be hoping this is not another refereeing decision to have gone against his side that ends up proving pivotal in the title race.
After being denied a legitimate Luis Diaz goal at Tottenham Hotspur in September and a penalty against Martin Odegaard at Anfield for handball, this was the latest unfortunate call made at the Reds’ expense.
Quite how Michael Oliver deemed Doku not to have fouled Mac Allister remains a mystery and leaves a sour taste after what was a thrilling contest played out at Anfield.
That this incident occurred in the 98th minute of the match, with merely seconds remaining in this potential title decider, may well have influenced the referee’s thinking on this occasion.
Liverpool had chances of their own to win the game, which they will be left to rue, but the trend of officiating errors coming back to bite the Reds will only be adding to the conversation around the standard of decision-making in the English top-flight at present.
Jack Flintham
Having taken time to reflect on that late decision at Anfield, the blame looks to lie at the feet of Michael Oliver. Before this season, VAR was criticised for over-refereeing football matches but this campaign, the conversation appears to have shifted towards them not interfering enough.
Oliver should have given the penalty on-field. No player should be allowed to have their leg that high and get away with it, even before you take into account that Jeremy Doku makes contact with him.
The contact on the ball appears to be minimal at best so it seems a flimsy argument to suggest it was a fair challenge. However, once Oliver said he won the ball and VAR spotted that he had, it was never going to be overturned.
I would rather the on-field referee makes the vast majority of decisions than VAR calling the shots from Stockley Park. Blame should rightly lie with Oliver though because in real-time, that looked like a blatant penalty.
Isaac Johnson
The absence of an explosive reaction to the moment probably tells the story. VAR judged Michael Oliver not to have made a serious error and although Jurgen Klopp was not happy after full-time, he does not wish to dwell on it.
If the title is lost by a point or two, then Luis Diaz’s no-goal against Tottenham or Martin Odegaard’s ghost penalty-box handball will be more pertinent than this decision.
However, it does call into question the usage of the VAR screen. At the moment, it is only used to show on-field officials why they have made an error, and not to discuss decisions. It seems a waste of a resource, and may have offered Liverpool a spot kick on Sunday if used in the latter manner.
Liverpool will feel two points were dropped against City because of the possession and chances they did not convert, rather than the penalty call. You can be sure if Oliver did give the penalty, though, VAR would not have overturned it. Time will tell how crucial that decision will be.
