Tottenham 2 Liverpool 1
Ange Postecoglou’s side welcomed Liverpool to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with both teams looking to build on their unbeaten starts to the season. The hosts had only won one of the last twenty-three meetings between these two sides.
The visitors started the game on the front foot and were putting Tottenham under significant pressure before a counter-attack saw Richarlison put a dangerous cross into the back post but Kulusevski had not gambled and could not get on the end of it.
Diaz then came forward for Jurgen Klopp’s side, finding Curtis Jones who played the ball into Gakpo in the box. The Dutch forward drew a save out of Vicario before the Tottenham keeper had to get straight back to his feet to block Andrew Robertson’s follow-up.
It was an exciting start to the game, which was then to be ruined by the Achilles heel of the modern Premier League, incompetent refereeing and VAR. Jones went in to challenge Bissouma with Simon Hooper immediately producing a yellow card.
Credit: @SpursOfficial
The replay showed that the Liverpool player had slipped on the ball as he challenged the Tottenham player and caught him on the shin. Anyone with the benefit of brain cells would realise there was no intent and it was in fact an accident. Sadly Premier League referees weren’t built with this upgrade.
As the VAR room told the match official to go to the monitor, they immediately led him down a certain path by having a still image of the final contact on the screen. Now, any challenge in slow motion looks far worse than it was in real time but despite watching the tackle replayed the referee decided it was a red card.
It makes you wonder where they get these match officials from, is there some sort of post-op lobotomy waiting room where PGMOL headhunters go to find talent? Either way, they are ruining the modern game.
Salah then slotted the ball through to Luis Diaz who struck a right footed shot past Vicario. Immediately the assistant to the head clown put his flag up. Replays showed that, even to the naked eye, Diaz was well onside.
VAR supposedly reviewed this incident and did nothing to intervene with the fact the goal had been chalked off. It was a decision that you would judge anyone, bar the registered blind, from getting wrong.
Maddison then played a superb pass in between the Liverpool defenders to Richarlison who unselfishly squared it to Son Heung-min to slot home. The home fans erupted in celebration.
Credit: @SpursOfficial
Udogie then set up Richarlison in a wide position, who got a shot away, only to see it come back off the post. It was a huge chance for the hosts to double their lead with Liverpool now down to ten men.
Szoboszlai played a ball into the box, which was headed back across goal by Van Dijk, who found Gakpo with his back to goal. The Liverpool player spun well to strike the ball past Vicario in the Spurs’ goal to equalise just before half-time.
At the start of the second-half, Tottenham were putting significant pressure on Liverpool and when Maddison tried to bend one in from outside the box, only a world-class save from Alisson was able to prevent the hosts taking the lead.
Son received the ball on the edge of the box and then chested the ball down to got a shot away, only to see it tipped over the bar by the Liverpool keeper. Alisson was keeping his side in the game at this point. Despite most people agreeing that The Reds’ stopper is one of the best in the business, he did not even get nominated for the 2023 Yashin Trophy.
Udogie then tripped over his own feet while running away from Diogo Jota, which the incompetent referee deemed to be a yellow card for the Portugal star. Moments later Jota then mistimed a challenge on the same player and received a second yellow card to leave Liverpool with nine players on the pitch.
As Endo got the ball away from Bissouma, the Tottenham player pushed the Japanese international in the face, which was punished with a yellow card. Gone are the days where any sort of contact to a player’s face was a straight red card, well with today’s questionable officials anyway.
Despite this, Postecoglou’s side struggled to break down the visitors, who were looking comfortable to hold on for a point until a drilled cross into the box was sliced into his own goal by Joel Matip to break Liverpool hearts.
Jurgen Klopp’s side could rightly feel hard done by with the performance of the three-man clown troop, also known as the matchday officials, who had an absolute shocker. The VAR studio put in a similarly buffoon-like display. After the game the PGMOL apologised for disallowing Diaz’s goal which should have stood.
When will this madness end? Maybe Liverpool should take legal action against them and send county court sheriffs to Howard Webb’s house to seize goods to the cost of what these dropped points could cost Jurgen Klopp’s season. One thing is for sure, this is getting beyond a joke now.
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