Liverpool's visit at Old Trafford resulted in a draw, yet it would have been a win had the video assistant referee (VAR) system worked as intended, according to club manager Jurgen Klopp. The team boss did not suffer a defeat against Manchester United, but he cast doubt on the rules governing the use of VAR.
It seemed to Klopp that the Premier League's review system is not a hundred percent accurate. VAR was the reason the foul on Divock Origi was not called because game official Martin Atkinson thought VAR the system will do its work. It did not.
Klopp was convinced there was a foul in the build-up to the opening goal managed by United, but there was no whistle from Atkinson. As it turned out, the VAR review did not overturn the infraction, and only a goal by Liverpool later in the game prevented a loss. The German said something went wrong.
"It is good that we have but the only thing that seems 100% correct is handball. Off sides I can accept easily. But when the ref doesn't make a decision because he has VAR, then VAR says they don't overrule because referee didn't give it, that I have a problem with," Bleacher Report quoted the Liverpool boss as saying.
In light of what happened, Klopp said the league needs to rethink how the VAR system is being used. It's important that the process is checked, he added.
"In general I think it's good that we have VAR but at the moment it looks like the only thing which works properly is handball, because they made the rule that if your hand is somehow involved in a goal, it's disallowed," Klopp was reported by The Independent as saying.
He clarified that because of VAR, referees would allow infractions on the belief that a VAR check will make clear of a questionable game situation. But when the system judges that a reviewed foul, for instance, was not clear and obvious, then no overturn will happen.
Klopp said it makes no sense, adding the very instance that occurred during the United-Liverpool should have made him furious. But he was more surprised than angry with what had happened.
The German, however, admitted that the draw with United was mostly due to Liverpool's gameplay, which he described as uninspired and predictable, the Mirror reported.
"We should have played much better football. We were too predictable, we did not have any inspiration. We did all the predictable things so they could defend the predictable things," Klopp said.
He still maintained that United played a game mostly focused on preventing the opposition from scoring.
