Liverpool have asked Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the professional referees’ body, to explain two contentious decisions that went against Jürgen Klopp’s side during the draw against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were effectively ended by the 1-1 draw at Anfield, where the referee John Brooks disallowed a Cody Gakpo goal for offside and showed the Villa defender Tyrone Mings only a yellow card for a high, studs-first foul on the Netherlands international.
Brooks was sent to the pitchside monitor by VAR after Gakpo scored what would have been an equalising goal against Unai Emery’s team. He disallowed the effort for an offside against Virgil van Dijk, having decided that Ezri Konsa had not made a deliberate play to the ball when Luis Díaz headed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross towards the Villa defender.
In the first half, Mings escaped a possible red card for imprinting his studs into Gakpo’s chest, leaving the forward with gashes on his body and a torn shirt. Brooks booked the defender and VAR reviewed the incident.
Liverpool want clarification on both decisions and have written to PGMOL to ask for an explanation.
Klopp said after the game on Saturday: “Cody looks like he’s been sponsored by a brand with three massive cuts [across his chest]. You can’t do that without making a proper foul. I asked the ref why the offside goal was offside because offside should be clear, but it was a subjective decision. He thinks it is a not deliberate action from the defender but I think it is.”
The Liverpool manager was serving a touchline ban on Saturday as a consequence of his comments about the referee Paul Tierney after the 4-3 win against Tottenham last month. Brooks was the fourth official who Klopp ran up to when celebrating Diogo Jota’s 96th-minute winner that day.
