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“We were clearly cheated by ref he made a mistake, and i told him as much. He disagrees and was clear to everyone on the sidelines that it should have been a yellow for Bergvall”- Van Dijk criticise decision not to send off Bergvall before Spurs winner
Arne Slot expressed his frustration with Liverpool’s misfortune after they suffered a late 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, marking an unusual setback in what has been a smooth season for the Reds.
Liverpool had hoped for a second yellow card for Spurs midfielder Lucas Bergvall after he fouled Kostas Tsimikas, who had to leave the field for treatment. However, referee Stuart Attwell did not penalize Bergvall. While Tsimikas was still off the pitch, Bergvall seized on a pass from Dominic Solanke to score the decisive goal.
Earlier, Attwell had made history by announcing the details of a VAR decision over the stadium microphone, revealing that Solanke’s goal had been disallowed for offside. Spurs quickly moved on from the disappointment, taking the advantage into the second leg at Anfield on 6 February.
“After a review, Dominic Solanke was in an offside position in the buildup to the goal, therefore the decision is offside,” Attwell’s announcement echoed through the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This marked the first time in English football that a referee had made such a public VAR announcement, a new innovation being trialled in these Carabao Cup semi-finals. Spurs’ frustration did not last long, as Bergvall scored a legitimate goal just eight minutes later.
Slot acknowledged the frustration of Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, who had criticized the refereeing after Spurs’ 2-1 Premier League loss to Newcastle. “People say decisions even themselves out, but I don’t believe that. I think decisions can be lucky or unlucky over the course of a season. Yes, one went against them on Sunday and in our favor today, which, of course, is very unlucky for us. Going down to 10 men, even briefly, against a team like Tottenham is far from ideal,” Slot said.
He continued, “I think anyone would have preferred the card to be given to Bergvall instead of the advantage being played so far from the goal. The question is whether the tackle was reckless enough for a yellow, or should the advantage have been played and then the card issued? Unfortunately, Attwell had to explain the VAR decision about Solanke’s goal, but he didn’t have to do the same for this situation. The positive is we have a second leg, but we’re in a tough spot.”
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk added, “It was quite clear it should have been a second yellow for Bergvall. And a minute later he scores the winner… a coincidence? I think the referee made a mistake, and I told him that. He disagreed, but everyone on the sidelines knew it should’ve been a yellow. There’s a linesman, a fourth official, VAR, and the referee, yet he didn’t get a second yellow. It’s not the reason we lost, but it was a huge moment in the game.”
Postecoglou praised his players for overcoming the adversity of losing Rodrigo Bentancur to a stretcher in the 15th minute after a concerning collapse. At halftime, Spurs confirmed that the midfielder was conscious and speaking.
Regarding the Bergvall incident, Postecoglou said, “He wasn’t lucky to stay on the pitch. If the advantage is played and the tackle isn’t cynical, it’s not a yellow card. This is what we’ve been told for the last two months.”
Postecoglou also voiced his concerns about the new practice of announcing VAR decisions in the stadium. “I’m really surprised at how quickly the game is changing here in this country. It’s changed more with VAR than in the past 50 years. Did everyone really like the announcement today? This is what people say they want, but why isn’t anyone speaking out about these changes? Especially in this country, where people think they’re the custodians of the game. You sing ‘it’s coming home,’ yet an Australian like me is the one most conservative about these changes.”
