VAR forgot the rules! Remarkable revelation as it emerges Merseyside derby video referee David Coote DIDN’T KNOW he could give Jordan Pickford a red card for horror lunge despite Virgil van Dijk being offside
- The VAR in charge of Merseyside derby did not check for Jordan Pickford red
- Liverpool are livid after Jordan Pickford’s horror foul on Virgil van Dijk
- Sportsmail has been told David Coote thought offside nullified the bad foul
- Liverpool are demanding urgent clarification on PGMOL’s handling of incident
The VAR in charge of Saturday’s controversial Merseyside derby did not check for a red card for Jordan Pickford after forgetting rules state he could review the incident despite the offside in the build-up.
Liverpool are livid after Pickford’s potential season-ending challenge on Virgil van Dijk went unpunished with David Coote, the official overseeing proceedings at Stockley Park, failing to look at whether Everton’s goalkeeper should be dismissed.
Remarkably, Sportsmail has been told Coote thought the offside — which he checked forensically — nullified what happened afterwards.
The VAR in charge of the Merseyside derby did not check for a red card for Jordan Pickford
The Everton goalkeeper went unpunished for a tackle that has ended Virgil van Dijk’s season
The VAR David Coote thought offside which he checked forensically nullified the horror foul
Liverpool, who drew the game 2-2, are demanding urgent clarification on the PGMOL’s handling of the incident. Senior sources at Anfield claim the Premier League are more interested in briefing their version of events — which they also allege keeps changing — than talking with the club.
Liverpool insiders say they were told on Saturday that Coote was ‘too distracted’ by the offside check and therefore did not look at the possible red card for Pickford.
PGMOL boss Mike Riley then spoke to the club on Sunday, claiming that the match officials did review the challenge and deemed it not to be a red.
Liverpool are demanding urgent clarification on the PGMOL’s handling of the incident
Liverpool’s captain Jordan Henderson then saw a late winner ruled out for offside, after Sadio Mane was judged to be off following a pass by Thiago Alcantara.
The PGMOL say they are bound by the camera technology available to them. The current set-up operates at 50 frames per second, meaning a picture is taken every 0.02 seconds.
This is not advanced enough to determine the exact moment a through-ball is played. It means clubs have to accept a margin of error and, given Mane was ruled offside by a matter of millimetres, can lead to controversial decisions.