Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp thinks his side deserves a do-over after PGMOL admitted that Luis Diaz’s goal should’ve stood in what became a 2-1 loss to Spurs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last week.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Europa League group stage game with Union Saint Gilloise, Klopp said he doesn’t think a replay will happen but that it would be for the good of Premier League integrity.
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“The argument against [a replay] will probably be if we open that gate then everybody will ask for it,” Klopp said, via Sky Sports. “The situation is so unprecedented that I’m 56 years old and I’m absolutely used to wrong decisions, difficult decisions but something like that as far as I can remember never happened.
“That’s why I think a replay would be the right thing. If it happened again, a replay would be the right thing to do or the referee has the opportunity to bring both coaches together and say, ‘Sorry we made a mistake but we can solve it. Let Liverpool score a goal and we can start from there.’
“I’m not angry with anybody, not at all. We should not go for them. They made a mistake and they felt horrible that night, I’m 100 percent sure. That’s enough for me, nobody needs further punishment.”
Should any part of Tottenham vs Liverpool be replayed?
This is a question with equal parts intrigue, rationality, and folly.
This is an unprecedented situation and one to which both PGMOL and the Premier League will adapt if it were to arise again. That unique nature, as Klopp rightly points out, does present an opportunity that may never exist as strongly again.
There’s also no question that Klopp would flatly reject the idea if the shoe was on the other foot. Klopp, for one, is one of a legion of managers who thinks players are overtaxed by fixtures.
And it really is a Pandora’s box situation. Sure: Let Tottenham trail 1-0 and Liverpool have one less man, and roll the ball out for another 60-plus minutes in London. There’s no guaranteeing the same players are available and healthy. There’s no way to make sure the rest was the same and the stakes are the same. And form! So there are variables here.
It stinks that Liverpool didn’t get its goal. A replay is a lot. And in all likelihood, myopic and far too much.
