Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has told the club’s official website that he has sympathy with Wolverhampton Wanderers after VAR controversy at Anfield, reminding them that there was a similar situation against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Klopp has reminded Wolves that when Liverpool faced Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League earlier in the season, there was a similar incident when all camera angles were not available to check whether a goal was offside or not.
Liverpool went down 3-2 to Arsenal in North London in October 2022.
Bukayo Saka scored two goals, and one of those came in first-half injury time.
There was a suggestion that Saka was in an offside position.
However, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was unable to check a possible offside by the Arsenal star due to a technical issue.
The England international was not apparently visible in any of the five Hawk-Eye cameras.
And the goal stood.
In the FA Cup third-round tie between Liverpool and Wolves at Anfield on Saturday evening, there was a similar situation.
Defender Toti Gomes had the ball in the back of the Liverpool net.
He thought that he had scored the winner.
However, it was flagged offside.
VAR chalked off the goal after a lengthy review.
According to The Express, Matheus Nunes was adjudged to be in an offside position ‘after he received the ball shortly after swinging in the corner’.
However, there was no VAR camera in that corner of the ground at Anfield, and there was not enough evidence.
And Klopp feels sympathy for Wolves.
Jurgen Klopp on Arsenal, Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers VAR issues
Klopp said: “For me, I thought it’s a goal. It was the player in the left corner who might have been offside.
“We have one angle, which I saw in the dressing room, where it could be offside but I would not swear on it, or however you say that, but it could be. But I think this angle the VAR didn’t have, if I’m right, that’s what I heard.
“There is a similar situation in the Arsenal game where one angle was missing and in the end everybody thought it was [a] clear offside, but we couldn’t prove it because the angle isn’t there.
“I don’t know how these things can happen, but it happened.
“So, I understand the frustration of Wolves because you want to have the right decision in these moments, like we wanted the right decision back then.
“But I cannot say anything about it because I have only saw one camera perspective and that’s it.”
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