Mourinho now delivers his verdict on Pickford incident in clash between Liverpool & Everton

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Jose Mourinho has told Football London that Michael Oliver was not to blame for failing to send Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford off for his challenge on Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool and Everton took each other on a fortnight ago now, but still the debate rumbles on about the game.

Pickford’s clumsy challenge on Van Dijk has left the Liverpool defender looking likely to miss the rest of the season.

The England international goalkeeper somehow avoided punishment for the tackle, which has led to Oliver receiving a great deal of criticism.

But Mourinho thinks that VAR official David Coote is the one who really is at fault for failing to pick up on the severity of the incident.

“I think the attention is based on the fact that there is a VAR. Without VAR, the situations on the pitch happen and the human being, the referee, makes mistakes,” said Mourinho.

“And you know me for quite a few years – it was difficult for me to accept the human mistakes but I learned and in this moment, I [came to] always accept the referee’s mistakes. What we don’t accept is the VAR mistakes.

“If the referee makes that mistake, everybody understands because the game is 100mph but with the VAR, how can that VAR make that mistake?

“And the situation of Pickford for me is the same. It’s the VAR, it’s not the referee.”

Coote has actually been taken off VAR duty since the Merseyside derby, but his failure to show Pickford a red still causes great frustration at Anfield.

Liverpool and Everton ultimately played out a 2-2 draw, with Jordan Henderson having a goal ruled out late on.

Since the game Liverpool have gone on to beat Sheffield United this weekend, while Everton were beaten by Southampton.