DENIED VAR TOO OFTEN!
Liverpool robbed again by MORE bad video ref decisions
EVEN Europe offers no escape from the shambolic vagaries of VAR for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.
The Reds seemed to have completed an almost perfect Champions League campaign w h e n Ta ku mi Mi n a mi n o tapped i n a stoppage- time winner after a header from sub Sadio Mane.
But, inexplicably, the goal was ruled out for hand- ball by Mane when replays appeared to show that the ball had in fact hit the arm of a Midtjylland defender.
And that shocking decision came after the home side had levelled through a penalty that looked more than dubious.
It matters little, as Klopp’s side still progress as group winners, and Mo Salah scored the goal which allowed him to set two more records.
S a l a h e c l i p s e d S t e v e n Gerrard to become Liverpool’s t o p g o a l s c o r e r i n t h e Champions League and also grabbed the club’s quickestever goal in the competition.
Klopp took the chance to rest players but still surprised f ans with a stronger than exp e ct ed l i ne- up, st ar t i ng Salah and Fabinho, along with Diogo Jota.
But, despite that, it was still
L i v e r p o o l ’ s y o u n g e s t Champions League line- up in history.
Within 55 seconds of the kick- off, Salah had given the Re d s a l e a d – a n d t h a t quickest- ever goal – courtesy of his razor- sharp instinct... and a huge helping of luck.
A p o or back- pass f r om Alexander Scholz opened the door and the Egyptian forward was through it in a f lash.
As he shaped t o shoot, t hough , he t ook an e xtra t o u c h , w h i c h s o m e h o w squirmed through the keeper’s legs and dribbled into the net ( top right).
Salah has now scored the most goals ( 23) for Liverpool in the Champions League, one ahead of Gerrard. And he now s t a n d s b e h i n d o n l y t h a t Anfield icon in the club’s alltime European goalscoring list.
But if Salah was Liverpool’s most influential presence, then Fabinho showed why Klopp dared risk one of his only two fit central defenders in this match with an acrobatic goalline clearance when Sor y Kaba had l ooped a header over Caoimhin Kelleher towards the empty net.
In the second half – after the Brazilian , who has stepped seamlessly into defence from midfield, had been withdrawn – h i s i n f l u e n c e r e a l l y showed. It allowed Billy Koumetio, 18, a senior d e b u t a l o n g s i d e f e l l o w rookie Rhys Williams.
The teenagers are fine prospects but, without a calming inf luence alongside them, they looked all at sea i n the second half as the Danes bullied Liverpool’s back- line. The hosts still had a dubious VAR call ( below) to thank for the penalty which brought them l evel , as Andreas Dreyer looked offside when he raced through and was clipped by Kelleher.
The technology looked closely at that foul to award t h e sp ot - ki c k, converted by Scholz, but not t he of f si de. Jord an Henderson and Mane came o n a s s u b s t o l e n d more experience but Liverpool will be glad to simply have come through this test with no more injuries.