'Unacceptable' — Liverpool release official statement after PGMOL admit refereeing error in Tottenham defeat

Liverpool have released an official statement in reply to the PGMOL’s admission of “significant human error” in their defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

The league refereeing committee admitted that a wrong call was made in the decision to rule out Luis Diaz's goal in Saturday’s match-up between the Reds and Tottenham.

The Colombian thought he gave Liverpool the lead in the clash, coming off the shoulder of the last defender before finishing past Guglielmo Vicario; however, the goal was ruled out for offside, and VAR was believed to have upheld the decision.

Liverpool went on to lose 2-1, but following the game, the PGMOL confessed that Diaz’s goal should have stood.

"The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials,’ the PGMOL said in their statement.

This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention. However, the VAR failed to intervene.

"PGMOL will immediately be contacting Liverpool at the conclusion of the fixture to acknowledge the error."

The aggrieved Reds put out a statement following the revelation, saying although they understand the pressure that comes with officiating, blunders categorised as “significant human error” are unacceptable given the availability of VAR.

“We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under, but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR.”

“It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention. That such failings have already been categorised as “significant human error” is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency.

“This is vital for the reliability of future decision-making as it applies to all clubs, with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again. In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.”