Luis Diaz's Goal Controversy in Tottenham vs Liverpool Match: Inside the VAR Decision

Luis Diaz's goal for Liverpool against Tottenham was wrongfully disallowed for offside by the VAR, as it mistakenly assumed that the on-field decision was to grant the goal. After Tottenham's 2-1 victory, the PGMOL promptly acknowledged that a "significant human error" occurred, and that "this was an evident and indisputable factual mistake, which should have led to the goal being granted through VAR intervention."

It was initially believed that VAR Darren England had failed to check whether a Tottenham defender had played Diaz onside by drawing the on-screen lines.

Why didn't the VAR team then stop the game?

However, in a surprising turn of events, it has now come to light that the VAR incorrectly assumed that the referee had awarded a goal, when in actuality, no goal had been given. As a consequence, England, despite acknowledging that Diaz was onside, communicated a message of 'check complete,' resulting in the disallowed goal.

The moment England and Assistant VAR Dan Cook recognized their error remains a mystery. After England's "check complete" message was relayed to on-field referee Simon Cooper, the game resumed just under a minute after Diaz had successfully scored a goal with a free-kick for Tottenham.

Once the game was back in motion, it is believed that the VAR team felt incapacitated to intervene.

Gary Neville, a pundit on X, expressed his belief that the referees were contemplating returning the game and awarding a goal, judging by their expressions. He noted that there was a specific instance when the referee appeared visibly concerned. Although this was not visible to viewers at home, the VAR screen, which showed the offside decision, remained fixated on that moment while the game continued. According to Neville, it seemed apparent that the referees had recognized the error almost immediately, but for some unknown reason, they did not reverse their decision or were unable to do so due to regulations.

Jamie Carragher, a fellow pundit, further emphasized the severity of the mistake, stating that regardless of the method used, it was a truly calamitous error. He strongly argued that if the officials realized their grave error soon after the Spurs free kick was taken, it is nonsensical that they cannot rectify it simply because the kick has already been executed.