Why did referee John Brooks and VAR rule against Cody Gakpo’s goal?
When referee John Brooks disallowed Cody Gakpo’s goal against Aston Villa, it caused considerable consternation both at Anfield and for those watching from home.
The explanation, it turns out, is no longer convincing.
With his close-range finish early in Saturday’s second half, Gakpo thought he had equalized Jacob Ramsey’s lead.
However, after a lengthy VAR review, the referee was sent to the pitch monitor to reconsider his decision, which resulted in the goal being disallowed.
The decision was officially described as offside, but it was unclear why the goal was missed.
The Premier League has now explained the reasoning behind the decision to rule Virgil van Dijk offside.
“Van Dijk was in an offside position following Luis Diaz’s header,” according to the statement.
“The VAR recommended a review, and referee John Brooks ruled it was an unintentional deflection by Ezri Konsa, not an intentional act.”
Diaz had headed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s high ball into the penalty area, but Konsa clearly attempted a pass that was intercepted by Van Dijk.
If Konsa had simply let the ball bounce off him instead of deliberately playing it, it would have been a disastrous defensive effort. But that is why the goal was impossible to achieve, and Jurgen Klopp was undoubtedly enraged in the stands as he served his punishment.
Brooks was the fourth official to be warned by Klopp for his celebrations during Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Tottenham at Anfield last month.
Following this incident, the manager received a two-game suspension and a £75,000 fine.
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