Tottenham Hotspur beat Liverpool 1-0 last night in the first leg of the semi-final of the League Cup. However, there was a moment of controversy late in the match when Lucas Bergvall could have been sent off. Moments later, he went on and scored the only goal of the game to give Tottenham a goal advantage going into the second leg at Anfield.
Former FIFA referee and Far Post Header’s Honourary Patron Keith Hackett gives me his take on the incident:
Liverpool have a right to be furious. Lucas Bergvall should have been sent off. Plus, the Liverpool captain accuses officials of making ‘obvious’ mistake in failing to send off Tottenham Hotspur goalscorer.
Once again, we are talking about the quality and inconsistencies of refereeing at the top level of the English game, on a night when the Professional Game Match Officials board was supposed to be taking a step towards better communication with fans.
Having issued a rather harsh yellow card to Tottenham Hotspur youngster Lucas Bergvall in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, a clear reckless challenge shortly afterwards fully deserved a second yellow. The fact that Tottenham still had eleven players on the pitch was hard enough for Liverpool to swallow, but add the fact that the player who should have been sent off was the one who scored.
It was a clear reckless challenge and one that the referee, Stuart Attwell, had a clear view of. If he required help, you have to ask where was the raised flag from the assistant referee, who was close to the incident? To make matters worse for Liverpool, Attwell’s decision to wave advantage and not give a foul meant that the player who was on the receiving end of Bergvall’s tackle, Konstantinos Tsimikas, had to leave the pitch.
Rules state a player who requires medical treatment not caused by a foul must leave the field of play and wait for the referee to wave them back on. Tsimikas did just that, but was not waved back onto the field as Tottenham attacked, and Dominic Solanke’s run that led to the goal assist came in the area of the pitch where you would expect Tsimikas to be defending. That is a doubly bitter pill to swallow, and Liverpool have every right to be aggrieved.
That was not the only talking point from North London on Wednesday night. Earlier in the match, we had heard for the first time in English football a referee announcing a VAR decision over the stadium’s public address system. Attwell communicated an offside decision ruling out a goal by Solanke, and while there was not a lot different for television viewers, this was a small step towards improving the system for those watching in person.
In the requirement to keep fans better informed inside the stadium, PGMOL has been preparing for announcements to be made after VAR decisions are reached, with the Carabao Cup semi-finals designated as a first trial in the domestic game. Frankly, for us watching at home, we see the process and the outcome. But what I believe should happen is for the big screen to be used in the stadium and the conversation between the referee and VAR to be broadcast live, so there is full transparency on what is decided, and how those decisions are reached.
Incidentally, offside decisions are taking too long, so I ask when are we going to introduce the semi-automated offside system which will help our officials? It was supposed to be introduced last year, yet still is not ready to be deployed.
Keith Hackett
Former FIFA Referee Former Boss PGMOL
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