Liverpool has responded to the apology from the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) regarding the disallowed goal by Luis Diaz in their 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

The PGMOL, responsible for refereeing in England, has admitted that Díaz’s goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside after VAR officials Darren England and assistant VAR Dan Cook mistakenly believed the on-field officials had awarded the goal.

Diaz believed he had given Liverpool the lead in the 34th minute, but the offside flag was raised.

The VAR team incorrectly believed the on-field decision was a “goal,” quickly realized Díaz was onside, and informed the on-field team that the “check was complete” to confirm the goal. However, when referee Simon Hooper was informed of this, he interpreted his assistant’s on-field decision as offside, so the decision remained disallowed instead of being changed to a goal.

Liverpool’s statement states: “Liverpool Football Club acknowledges the PGMOL’s admission of their mistakes last night. It is evident that the correct application of the laws of the game did not take place, undermining the integrity of the sport.

We fully understand the pressures that match officials are under, but these pressures are supposed to be relieved, not exacerbated, by the existence and use of VAR.

It is, therefore, unsatisfactory that enough time was not given to make the correct decision, and there was no subsequent intervention.

The fact that such errors have been categorized as “significant human error” is also unacceptable. All outcomes should only be determined through thorough review and with complete transparency.

This is crucial for the reliability of future decision-making and applies to all clubs, with the lessons learned used to improve processes to prevent such situations from happening again.

In the meantime, we will explore the available options, recognizing the clear need for escalation and resolution.”