Jurgen Klopp has called for the Premier League to replay Liverpool’s defeat to Spurs after a VAR error saw Luis Diaz’s goal wrongly disallowed.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery insists Tottenham’s weekend win over Liverpool MUST NOT be repeated despite the Premier League’s biggest ever VAR error.
A major VAR error ruled out Luis Diaz’s goal in north London, with the Reds’ ace offside. Replays showed he was indeed involved, although Darren England, VAR, mistakenly believed a goal had been ruled on the pitch, prompting referee Simon Hooper to inform referee Simon Hooper that the review was over.
Liverpool’s complaints led to inter-referee audio showing that the first person to spot the foul was the replay operator who told the refereeing team to stop the game, but the VAR and assistant VAR repeatedly said they could not intervene during the game. was restarted. And Jurgen Klopp insisted such an unprecedented scenario – a Spurs win 2-1 – should happen again.
But Villa boss Emery said ahead of his side’s Europa League game against Bosnian side Zrinjski: “Before we had VAR, there were a lot of mistakes – more so than now.
“Now I can accept some VAR mistakes. These are just some… small mistakes. Of course, Liverpool, it was a big mistake in the last match against Tottenham, but we have to accept because before, without VAR, there were more. and more and more. “I listened to the conversation between the referees because it’s popular and they were worried about their mistake but they couldn’t react because they started playing again. It’s a mistake. I accept that. Of course it’s more difficult for Liverpool.
– It is also more difficult for Jurgen, but I accept it. I know that before VAR came, there were more mistakes than now. But if there is a mistake, you have to accept it as before. So no, no (for the replay) you have to accept it as before, when we were without VAR.”
Emery is also confident Ollie Watkins will commit his long-term future to the Villans.
The Spaniard was positive about the outcome of the negotiations between the player and the club, which lasted half a year. Watkins grabbed his second hat-trick of the season against Brighton, becoming the first Villa player to achieve the feat since Andy Gray in 1976-77. Emery said: “The club and he are talking and we can be optimistic about the possibility of him extending his contract. I am 100 percent sure because I think he is happy here and he will progress. He will bring a new challenge with us.” ”
Emery rested his main striker on Thursday – he used John Duran in Villa’s Europa League opener – and is likely to do so in Sunday’s West Midlands derby at Wolves. But he emphasized the importance of Watkins, saying they are committed to the same goals.
He said: “Ollie’s progress before we arrived was significant. He is very demanding of himself, every day. And he doesn’t always score goals, he always accepts the challenge with the team and tries to reach Europe like last year.
“We’re helping him. We’re trying to improve his game. I think he wants to progress with us.”
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Watkins’ team-mate Ezri Konsa urged Villa to do so, saying: “I’ve known him for a while. I played with him at Brentford and I knew how good he was.
“I was over the moon when he signed. I knew what he could bring to the team. He scored a hat-trick to beat Chelsea at the weekend. It would be really important if the club could keep him.
This is Villa’s first home group game in a European competition in the last 13 years. Emery said: “We lost the first game in Warsaw and their supporters were very excited.
“We have to do the same at home. Our support is very important and we have to create a great atmosphere because this competition is very important for us.
