Exclusive: Liverpool used ‘unfair tactic’ in VAR incident vs Nottingham Forest
Diogo Jota was never going to have his equaliser for Liverpool in their Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest ruled out by VAR, Keith Hackett has said.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official suggested goalkeeping coaches must find a way to deal with pressure from attacking players, after Matz Sels was blocked by Cody Gakpo in the lead-up to that goal.
Arne Slot’s had found themselves 1-0 down at half-time in that match at the City Ground on Tuesday (14 January), after Chris Wood opened the scoring early in the game to continue his fine form this season.
Liverpool though would pull themselves level midway through the second half, and Hackett has now dismissed any suggestions the goal would have been disallowed by VAR.
Keith Hackett issues ‘dark arts’ verdict on Liverpool equaliser at Nottingham Forest
With 66 minutes on the clock, Arne Slot made a double substitution that saw introduced Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimakas to the game.
That immediately paid off for Liverpool, as the latter’s corner was then headed in by the Portugal international as the match resumed.
Replays then showed that as the corner was sent into the box, Cody Gakpo had backed into Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels, preventing him from making full contact with the ball in an attempt to clear it.
Though Slot had been frustrated with the officials earlier in the game, there was no need for him to be here with the goal allowed to stand, and Hackett believes that was no chance of that happening even if he is unconvinced about how fair the tactic is.
Speaking to Football Insider about the Liverpool equaliser, the former referee said:
“Clearly one of the dark arts currently in football is how attacking teams are positioning one of their forwards on the goalkeeper. You will appreciate no one owns any space on a football field.
“Given these tactics I would have thought that goalkeeping coaches might have found a way to combat and to deal with what I consider an unfair tactic.
“Looking at replays there is no way that VAR would intervene. The goalkeeper should have made a stronger play for the ball, good goal.”
That goal was enough to ensure that Liverpool and Nottingham Forest would share the points at The City Ground.
Arne Slot’s side therefore remain six points clear at the top of the Premier League table as things stand.
In other news, Liverpool and Man United are racing to sign a Wolves player.
For more Liverpool and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.