Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has acknowledged Liverpool were denied a “legitimate goal” in last weekend’s match but defended VAR operator Darren England.
Spurs claimed a dramatic 2-1 victory over Liverpool last Saturday, but the result was mired in controversy after a Luis Diaz effort in the 34th-minute was incorrectly ruled out for offside.
The incident was reviewed but VAR operator England mistakenly believed the on-field decision had been to award the goal and, after establishing Diaz had been onside, England told referee Simon Hooper “check complete” before Tottenham resumed the game with the score 0-0.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited subsequently admitted a “significant human error” occurred and released the audio this week, while on Wednesday Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp stated a replay may be the best solution even though he admitted it was unlikely.
Ahead of Saturday’s trip to Luton, Postecoglou said: “The facts of it are that it was a legitimate goal Liverpool scored that wasn’t given.
“You kind of look at why it’s not given because that’s the first thing you question: obviously something has broken down.
“It became clear it wasn’t an integrity issue, it wasn’t a misappropriation of the law, it was an error in communication, a mistake, a mistake which cost Liverpool.
“I get that it’s an unusual one in that it’s never happened before, but at the same time we’re in a new space anyway with technology where I think they’ll be a lot of firsts with the way we deal with these things.”
The fallout from the incident has seen referee England reportedly told he will not officiate another Liverpool match this season, but Postecoglou railed against critics of the official.
“I don’t know if that’s been decided,” the Spurs boss added. “I’d be surprised if they have gone that way.
“It’s a significant error but it’s a human being that’s made that error. I don’t think that there’s anything that needs to go too far reaching
“From my perspective, when I listened to that audio, saying ‘check complete’, someone obviously thought it was a good way of finalising things and it’s worked up until now.
“I would have thought the logical thing is to say ‘goal for Liverpool’ but I’m saying that with the ignorance of not knowing how it’s truly set up.
“When listening to that you probably think there’s better ways of communicating a clear decision in such a big situation.
“I hope that’s what they’re addressing, not the individual that made the mistake. I think that’s a dereliction of the game.
“That’s like me hanging out a player to dry just because he made a mistake. My role is to go in and help that player to improve not say ‘now you’re never playing again’.”
Spurs’ focus will turn to their Saturday lunchtime kick-off at Luton and another victory for Postecoglou’s team would send them top of the Premier League until Sunday’s meeting between current leaders Manchester City and third-placed Arsenal.
James Maddison (knee) and Son Heung-min (groin) have been declared fit to play but Manor Solomon (knee) has joined a growing injury list that contains Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), Brennan Johnson (hamstring) and Ivan Perisic (knee).
Tottenham should have Bryan Gil and Giovani Lo Celso back on the bench after groin and quad issues respectively.
Postecoglou said: “If we win we go top of the table for 24 hours but who cares? We’ve got to win.
“It’s a tough game, our focus is on putting on a performance and playing at our best because if we don’t, it won’t matter where we’re sitting on the competition ladder, it’ll be us focusing on a poor performance.”
Ten Hag hits back at Mourinho dig over Man United board backing
Erik ten Hag has hit back at Jose Mourinho after the former Manchester United manager said he did not get the same level of support as the Dutchman.
Mourinho, who spent two and a half years in charge of United, suggested in an interview with the Telegraph that he did not have the same backing in the transfer market, or the same level of "trust" instilled in him as Ten Hag.
The former Ajax manager recently spoke to Sky Sports about failing to sign stars like Harry Kane, with the club instead choosing to invest in younger players with potential, like Rasmus Hojlund.
Ten Hag is facing an uncertain future at the club with just one year left on his contract following a disappointing second campaign. New co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has given no guarantees that he will keep his post next season.
Now, Ten Hag has responded to Mourinho’s claims, stating that the Portuguese coach was the only manager after Alex Ferguson to be given backing by the board.
Speaking to ESPN Brazil, Ten Hag said: "Apart from Mourinho, the manager didn't get the players they wanted, and that is what you need.
"I am confident we will achieve our goals, but it is a tough competition. It is not a two-horse race anymore.
"There are seven, eight [teams in the Premier League] who all go for the title, who all have very good squads. So if you want to go to the title, you have to construct that squad."
PSG not obsessed with scoring twice against Dortmund - Luis Enrique
Paris Saint-Germain lost their Champions League semi-final first leg 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund last Wednesday, but that does not mean they will go all out to score twice in the return game, manager Luis Enrique said on Monday.
The Ligue 1 champions overturned a one-goal deficit against Barcelona in the quarter-finals, winning 4-1 in the second leg, but PSG are prepared to take the game with Dortmund to extra time if that is what is needed.
"The aim isn't to win by two goals, but to win, if you think you have to score two goals, that seems like a big target," Luis Enrique told a press conference ahead of Tuesday's game in Paris.
"We just want to play and score. If we score in the 89th minute, it will carry on. We don't need to score right away, we just want to win the game.
The Spaniard wants his side concentrated on all aspects of their game, not only in attack, and a goal from the Germans won't be the end of the world.
"You could score twice in two minutes, but you could also concede a goal," he added.
"We have to be 100 per cent focused on attack and defence. If we concede a goal, it is not serious, we have to stay calm. If we score twice very quickly, our opponents will have to react.
"It will be an even game with a high level of play on and off the ball, so it will be tough for both teams."
Since last week's loss, Luis Enrique has declared on more than one occasion that PSG will win the return game, saying: "That is the only sentence I know in French, 'on va gagner' we are going to win.
"It is a sentence I like, and I always think my team will win, so that is what I say."
PSG have home advantage for the second leg, and Luis Enrique has no doubt that the Parc des Princes will once again be a driving force for his team.
"I think the role of the fans will be vital, as it has been throughout the season," the manager said.
"We have a total guarantee that the fans will be fully behind us as they have been all year, particularly when we need them, and this isn't a normal thing.
"We will all be together, and I hope we can celebrate a victory and a place in the final."
Van Dijk insists he will be part of Liverpool's transition from Klopp
Virgil van Dijk says he will be "part of" the big transition following Jurgen Klopp’s departure at the end of the season.
The German will leave Liverpool after nine years in charge, with a deal agreed for Feyenoord manager, Arne Slot, to replace him.
Van Dijk, who signed for Liverpool in January 2018, is going into the final year of his contract, and admitted he has not heard anything about an extension.
"There is nothing for me to discuss because there is no news," Van Dijk said.
"I think the club is very much busy with who is going to be the new manager and that is the main focus.
"I am very happy here. I love the club, and you can see that as well. It’s a big part of my life already. The focus is now on the last two games and then the club will focus on who the new manager is and there will be a big transition, and I am part of that.
"When the season is over and there is news, we will focus on what is coming next, but it is a fact that there will be a lot of changes happening, and it will be interesting. I am here to be a part of that and looking forward to it.
"I am the captain, so I want to help, I will help, and I should help. If he [Slot] is the one who comes, then let’s see.
"There will be a lot of changes happening. I wouldn’t say scary is the right word, but it is quite interesting and exciting what will happen now."
Liverpool beat Tottenham 4-2 on Sunday, putting recent setbacks behind them to return to winning ways at Anfield.
The Reds won the EFL Cup in February, and though a Premier League title now looks unlikely, Van Dijk is hopeful that they can finish Klopp’s reign strongly.
"Listen, if you said at the start of the season that this is how it would have gone, then I think we would have taken that," he added.
"We are winners, and we were close. We weren’t good enough in the decisive moments, but that is life. We have to stick together, and we will.
"A few of us have been in title races and on the losing sides at times and it hurts. But we have to take this experience with us, and you only improve if you learn and that is the aim, and we can take that into next season. We want to give the manager a good farewell and do it for ourselves as well."
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