Jurgen Klopp has taken issue with referee Craig Pawson and VAR, accusing the officials of hiding, after Liverpool’s defeat to West Ham on Sunday.
The Reds boss was unhappy with a number of decisions at the London Stadium as his side fell to a 3-2 defeat, and was adamant the Hammers’ opening goal should have been disallowed for a foul on Alisson.
And when asked about the goal after the final whistle, Klopp took issue with Pawson’s use of VAR and how there must be a ‘clear and obvious’ error for a decision to be overturned.
“It’s a clear foul on Alisson. How can it not be?” he insisted. “The arm is up, the arm from Ogbonna is there and I really don’t know.
“I don’t know who was VAR today. We always have to say the ref maybe in the game can see that but in the situation, when you see the dynamic of the whole situation when they all go down and they are so close to each other, how can that not be a foul already without pushing the arm of Alisson away?
“But the ref made it easy for himself and thought, ‘Come on, let’s see what the VAR is saying?’ The VAR had a look and said not clear and obvious, I don’t know why, and here’s the goal which is really strange.
“It’s all about the ref. The ref is always right. Not all refs but he does. Not all refs, it’s just the situation.
“He just thinks, ‘Okay, let’s see what he says.’ He did that today, definitely.”
He continued: “There was another situation. Trent Alexander-Arnold after a set-piece on the second ball, takes the ball on the volley and goes down. It’s not a foul but he has a proper bruise under his foot.
“Where’s that coming from? It’s just – don’t do anything and just see what the VAR is saying.
“And there we have the problem with the clear and obvious mistake because whoever is there in the VAR hides behind that phrase, and then we have two people hiding and in the end we have the wrong decision.”
Klopp also called for more protection of goalkeepers after West Ham’s opener was allowed to stand, suggesting Alisson had no chance to keep it out.