Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk escaped a red card after a controversial challenge on Tottenham's Richarlison. Despite replays showing contact with Richarlison's face, VAR deemed the incident not worthy of a red. Ex-PGMOL general manager Keith Hackett believes van Dijk was fortunate to avoid a red card for what he deemed a 'reckless' challenge.
Former Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) general manager Keith Hackett believes Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk could have been shown a red card during the Reds' League Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham Hotspur . In the third minute of the match at Anfield, van Dijk and Richarlison became entangled, leaving the former Everton star clutching his face on the pitch. Referee Craig Pawson momentarily halted the game but did not deem the incident a foul.
Replays revealed that van Dijk's arm made contact with Richarlison's face. However, after a review by the video assistant referee (VAR), Michael Salisbury, the challenge was deemed not worthy of a penalty. Despite this, Richarlison maintained that van Dijk had elbowed him. Hackett acknowledged that Liverpool were fortunate to have kept all 11 players on the pitch. 'There is no doubt that Virgil van Dijk can count himself very, very fortunate to have used arm, or elbow, against his opponent and come away with no sanction,' he told Football Insider. 'This was, at the very least, reckless and should have been a minimum yellow card; it bordered on excessive force. But I think I'd just give him the benefit of the doubt and go yellow, not red,' he added. A straight red card for violent conduct would have seen van Dijk miss several crucial matches for Liverpool, including the FA Cup fourth-round tie with Plymouth Argyle, the midweek Merseyside derby against Everton, and the subsequent home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Interestingly, Richarlison left the field before van Dijk, departing in first-half added time due to an unrelated injury. The Liverpool captain stayed on to score the fourth and final goal of the match, heading in an Alexis Mac Allister corner. In the final 20 minutes, manager Jurgen Klopp made five substitutions, with Mac Allister replacing Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah coming on for van Dijk to see out the tie
Virgil Van Dijk Liverpool Tottenham Hotspur League Cup VAR
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