Draw after the VAR scandal
“Misunderstanding” costs Klopp’s Reds two points
October 8th, 2023, 7:30 p.m
Two goals from superstar Mohamed Salah are not enough for Liverpool FC to win against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League – because there is a “miscommunication” in the Reds’ backline.
Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool FC are not yet back on track after Tottenham’s VAR scandal. Despite two goals from Mohamed Salah, the Reds couldn’t get past a 2-2 (2-1) draw at Brighton & Hove Albion and missed out on second place in the Premier League table.
Brighton started well with German international Pascal Groß, but the lead through Simon Adingra (20th) was favored by Liverpool’s Argentinian world champion Alexis Mac Allister with a bad pass. However, Liverpool’s defense chief Virgil van Dijk did not want to blame his colleague for the deficit: “It wasn’t just Alexis, but also me, it’s a risky ball. But of course we try to play out from the back, and unfortunately that can happen in football happen and you are immediately punished, that is the highest level,” said the Dutch international. “The way we fought back was a great reaction and that was very positive.”
Salah turned the game around within a few minutes (40th/45th+1), his second goal was a penalty kick caused by Groß – ironically according to video evidence. Brighton’s captain Lewis Dunk (78th) made it 2-2 after a free kick. The goal, van Dijk said, resulted from a “misunderstanding. I think Robbo (left-back Andy Robertson – editor’s note) heard a scream and thought it was Alisson, that’s a miscommunication and shouldn’t happen. But Nobody wants to make mistakes. Unfortunately it was a miscommunication that cost us a goal.”
The draw was okay, Klopp said after the final whistle: “I think, unfortunately, yes. The 1-0 was handed to us on a silver platter, but it was a similar situation for us; we forced them to make similar mistakes with our goals “It was an intense game for both teams, so I think the result in the end is right.”
Liverpool are now three points behind Tottenham Hotspur. The 19-time champions lost the top game at Spurs 1-2 on September 30th, with Liverpool’s supposed opening goal by Luis Diaz being wrongly disallowed for offside. However, the VAR team did not reverse the referee’s decision after reviewing the images. German team manager Klopp calls for a replay.