Diogo Jota has admitted that his challenge on Oliver Skipp was "not a great tackle" but referee Paul Tierney could see that he "didn't mean it". Pushing for an equaliser after Son Heung-min had made it 3-2 with 13 minutes left on the clock, Spurs player surrounded the referee after the Portuguese forward caught Skipp in the head with a high boot.
The tackle left the Tottenham man bloodied with a gash on his head, but the referee decided to brandish a yellow card to the Liverpool man rather than showing him a straight red. It proved to be a huge decision in the match as Jota later went on to score the winner in stoppage time moments after Richarlison had levelled the game up at 3-3 following a header from Son Heung-min's cross.
Tottenham acting head coach Ryan Mason was understandably furious with the decision and demanded an explanation for Jota not receiving a red card. Speaking to the media after the game, Jota himself opened up on the incident and claimed that Skipp was brave to put his head in but claimed he did get a touch on the ball.
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"It's not a great tackle," he revealed to BBC's Match of the Day. "I also touched the ball. I also think he gets his head down. It's just brave from him. Unfortunately it's a foot in the face. I saw the ref could see I didn't mean it and it's just football."
Mason was furious following the decision as it did have a pivotal say on the game after his team had mounted an incredible fightback having earlier shipped three goals in 15 minutes.
"I would like an explanation and a reason why it wasn’t," said the 31-year-old. "I can understand referees and officials on the pitch missing it even though my feeling was an instant red card because when your foot is studs showing and you're five and a half feet off the ground and make contact with a player's head and draw blood, and there is a gash, I think it ticks all the boxes.
"Probably more so an experienced referee in the VAR room, you want him to help the official on the pitch in that moment. Listen, it's decided the game because that player on the pitch shouldn’t have been on there at the end decided the game. I'm pretty sure most football people's opinions will probably feel the same."
The decision not to send Jota off was not the only big call that didn't go Spurs' way, with team and management appealing for penalties after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Richarlison went down in the box in the closing stages. Mason appeared to indicate that the Anfield factor played a part in the decisions as he pointed to the main stand when in conversation with the fourth official.
"I feel like those questions are not for me. I felt like we didn’t get that decision, it was a big decision, a crucial decision and one you can’t really miss. I find it hard and impossible to really understand why," explained Mason.
"Of course we're just so disappointed because we came here today and created so many chances. On another day we win it with ease in the way we played today but the Premier League's relentless, you have to be ready every single game to fight and we helped Liverpool today."
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