Diogo Jota should not have been sent off during Liverpool’s controversial 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, ESPN’s independent main-match events panel can reveal.
Jota was red-carded for two challenges in just over a minute, both on Spurs defender Destiny Udogie.
ESPN have seen the panel’s ratings for week seven and they say another Udog tackle in the 69th minute was not worthy of referee Simon Hooper’s yellow card.
The report noted that “the decision was equally flawed by the majority as they felt it did not exceed the yellow card threshold”, with five members voting 3-2 against the reservation.
The panel consists of five members, including three former players and/or coaches and one Premier League and PGMOL representative. The judgment is not final, but provides a comprehensive assessment of all important game events. PGMOL and clubs are likely to disagree on some outcomes.
At the time, few observers questioned the validity of Jota’s second caution, which left the Reds with nine men for the rest of the game. It was the first booking since Udogie’s back foot clipped the Portuguese forward’s knee that looked worthy of a review. However, the governing body will not decide on the first yellow card if a player is disqualified for two recordable offences. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was furious at both the red cards and the goal, which Luis DÃaz mistook for offside.
Curtis Jones was disallowed on video review in the 24th minute for a challenge on Yves Bissouma, but the panel upheld Darren England’s VAR intervention. Klopp confirmed that Liverpool had lost their appeal to the Football Association to overturn Jones’ three-match ban, although he was unable to object to Jota’s one-match ban due to two cautions.
Klopp told a press conference on Wednesday that the game was expected to be replayed after referee PGMOL acknowledged that standards were below expectations for Diaz, whose goal was disallowed due to a VAR scoring error. 0:0 in the 34th minute.
According to the panel, it was the referees’ worst weekend of the season, with four missed due to VAR intervention – more than the rest of the season combined. It was ruled that Aston Villa’s second and third goals in their 6–1 home win over Brighton and Hove Albion should have been disallowed. Villa led 1-0 when Nicolò Zaniolo was on target for an Ollie Watkins shot from Brighton keeper Jason Steele, with the panel ruling 3-2 in favor of a disallowed goal.
A minute later Douglas Luiz converted Brighton’s Solly March into an own goal by Pervis Estupiñán. Although the panel decided that it was Luiz’s fault, voting 4-1 in favor of VAR intervention, there was no reference to the importance of the attacking phase, which would have been a key factor in the fall of Stuart’s VAR. Attwell.
It was also recognized that Villa defender Ezri Konsa should have shown a second yellow card in the 71st minute when the score was 4:1. Brighton midfielder Ansu Fati was cautioned in the 57th minute after a challenge with Konsa, who received the ball, and the panel felt both players should have been cautioned.
The panel also ruled unanimously that Brentford were not awarded a clear penalty at Nottingham Forest after goalkeeper Matt Turner kicked Brentford forward Yoane Wiss. The game ended 1-1.
All other key events of the games held from Saturday to Tuesday were deemed correct by the jury.
