Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp was left baffled by the offside decision that cost his team victory in the Merseyside derby and concerned about two key injuries suffered in the 2-2 Premier League draw with Everton on Sunday (NZ time).
The champions thought they had won the game with a stoppage- time goal from Jordan Henderson but a VAR review found the narrowest margin of offside and cancelled out the potential winner.
Liverpool also had Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk taken off with an injury early in the game and Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara picked up a knock from a wild challenge by Richarlison which resulted in a red card for Everton's Brazilian.
"I am a real supporter of VAR," says Klopp.
"[Last season] the armpit was offside. Now, there is no armpit offside, everyone tells me it was not offside but it does not lift my mood.
"We lost one player with Virgil and maybe another with the red card. Not our day."
The German said his players had watched the VAR incident back on a laptop in the dressing-room but did not understand how the decision was made.
Van Dijk was hurt in the seventh minute due to a wild challenge from Everton keeper Jordan Pickford, after the referee blew for offside. The England goalkeeper was not even cautioned for the lunging attempted tackle.
"Virgil, it is not good," said Klopp, who defined Pickford's actions as "not a challenge the keeper can do".
"He plays on with pain, he never misses a game. I don't know how bad it is but it is not good."
BeIN Sports is reporting that van Dijk suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which would keep him out for the remainder of the season.
Despite the drama, Klopp was pleased with the way his team responded to their pre-international break 7-2 mauling at Aston Villa.
"The performance was top, it was a top game and a good game for both teams," says Klopp.
"We were dominant against a side full of confidence and with a clear plan. It was probably the best away game [against Everton] since I was at Liverpool.
"I saw a really good performance. I would be more happy if we win but I wanted to see a response and see the team we were before."
Elsewhere, Bruno Fernandes made amends for a missed penalty with a late strike as Manchester United thrashed Newcastle United 4-1 to collect their second Premier League win of the season.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side got off to the worst possible start when the ball deflected off Luke Shaw for an own goal in the second minute, but United captain Harry Maguire put his side level from a corner in the 23rd minute.
Fernandes missed from the spot after Marcus Rashford was fouled, but he made no mistake in the 86th minute, finishing off a superb flowing counter attack by lashing the ball into the top corner to give his side the lead.
Newcastle crumbled in the final minutes as Aaron Wan-Bissaka scored his first senior goal in stoppage time and Rashford added a fourth. Manchester United are 14th on six points, while Newcastle are 11th on seven points.
Meanwhile, Southampton came from behind twice to earn a 3-3 draw at Chelsea despite Timo Werner scoring two goals for the home side.
Jannik Vestergaard headed in a dramatic injury-time equaliser to claim the Saints a point, after Danny Ings and Che Adams had earlier brought the visitors back from 2-0 down to 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Also, a first half Raheem Sterling strike earned Manchester City a 1-0 win over Arsenal.
Reuters
