Jurgen Klopp suggested that the Premier League match between Tottenham and Liverpool should be replayed after VAR disallowed Luis Diaz’s goal for offside when the pictures clearly showed he was onside.
Here are seven other incidents in high-profile games that could have caused the match to be replayed…
Germany 4-1 England, 2010 World Cup
Embed from Getty ImagesEngland had just pulled a goal back in their round of 16 World Cup tie against Germany. Matthew Upson’s headed goal gave England a route back into the contest after going 2-0 down in the first half. England sensed the game was turning in their favour as Jermaine Defoe took the ball down outside the area. The ball fell to the feet of Frank Lampard who hit a looping shot which crashed the crossbar and bounced over the line. England were level! Or so they thought…
From first viewing, everyone could see the ball had crossed the line, so Lampard wheeled away in celebration. The referee had other ideas. Jorge Larrionda from Uruguay did not give the goal, claiming he did not see the ball cross the line. Fabio Capello and England were dumbfounded and a whole nation had felt they had been robbed. The game continued and England could not find their mojo again, and crashed out of the World Cup losing 4-1. This incident sent shockwaves round the world and the clammer for goal-line technology was amplified. BBC’s co-commentator Mark Lawrenson displayed his outrage during the replay of the goal that never stood.
“What is it FIFA do not want? Technology. Thanks very much Sepp Blatter.”
Arguably this situation was a landmark moment, as it increased the pressure on goal-line technology to be introduced. In December 2012, FIFA announced it would introduce goal-line technology at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan. A game changing moment for football. The mistake was costly, if England were level at 2-2 the outcome of the game and Capello’s future could have been very different.
Aston Villa 0-0 Sheffield United, 2019/20 Premier League
Embed from Getty ImagesSince it’s introduction, goal-line technology has been a quick and reliable way of determining whether the ball has crossed the line or not. In the first game back after the COVID-19 lockdown, Aston Villa hosted Sheffield United in dire need of points. The visitors thought they taken the lead when Oliver Norwood swung in a free-kick which goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland struggled to deal with. It appeared he carried the ball over the line but the watch didn’t buzz for referee Micheal Oliver. The goal did not stand and the game finished 0-0.
The goal did not stand due to a ‘technical error’ and had a monumental affect on the outcome of the season. Aston Villa survived by one point and Bournemouth were relegated. Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth would have felt incredibly hard done by due to the fact that if that goal had stood and Sheffield United had won the game, Bournemouth would have survived and Aston Villa would have been relegated.
The Hand of God, 1986 World Cup
Embed from Getty ImagesArgentina progressed into the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup after a 2-1 win over England. Diego Maradona scored an exceptional goal to make the game 2-0, but his opening goal still gets spoken about to this day by football fans all around the world. Dubbed as the ‘Hand of God’, Maradona leapt for the ball, battling with England keeper Peter Shilton and appeared to punch the ball with his hand to score the opening goal. The referee Ali Bennacuer gave the goal, and the England protest began. A clear act of cheating was not identified and England suffered because of it.
19 years later Maradona admitted in an interview that he had used his hand to score. England goalkeeper Shilton never accepted his apology. The incident is one of the most infamous refereeing errors in football history and England would have had a case for the game to be replayed.
Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona, Champions League 2009
Embed from Getty ImagesChelsea suffered last minute heartbreak in the 2009 Champions League semi-final. Andreas Iniesta levelled the game to take Barcelona through to the final in Rome, just a year after Chelsea had lost in the final to Manchester United in Moscow.
The match was refereed by Tom Henning Øvrebø, and he denied Chelsea several penalties throughout the game. Those decisions looked wrong on the night, and Chelsea were left to rue every decision. He was subject to abuse from Chelsea players during and after the game, with Didier Drogba swearing in front of the TV cameras claiming it was “a disgrace”.
Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink described it as the worst refereeing performance he had ever seen.
Henry’s infamous handball, France 1-1 Ireland, World Cup 2010 Play-Off
Embed from Getty ImagesIreland were denied a place at the 2010 World Cup after Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball before playing the it to William Gallas to score the equaliser which saw France win the play-off 2-1 on aggregate. For Ireland, it was an outrage. The players protested to Swedish referee Martin Hansson, but the referee claimed he was hampered in his sighting of the incident, and gave the goal.
A game of such magnitude was tarnished with controversy and heartbreak for the Irish. If it is any consolation to them, France went on to have a horrendous World Cup campaign with the squad falling out with the manager, and the team being eliminated in the group stages.
Everton 0-1 Manchester City, Premier League 2021/2022
Embed from Getty ImagesManchester City won the 2021/2022 Premier League title by a single point, and both sides of Merseyside felt incredibly hard done by when Manchester City visited Everton in February 2022. City came away with three points after a 1-0 win at Goodison Park, but the come team were adamant they should have had a penalty of it appeared Rodri had handled the ball in the box.
After a VAR check, the penalty was not given which left Everton boss Frank Lampard and the home fans in shock.
“A three-year-old could tell you that is a penalty”, said the former Chelsea midfielder after the game. An Everton penalty could have resulted in a vital equaliser for both ends of the table. Liverpool would have benefitted from City’s dropped points which may have had a difference into who the trophy would have gone to. Everton were desperate for points themselves and would have seen that as a huge scalp in their ongoing relegation battle.
Suggestion of a replay sounds farfetched but try telling Liverpool that after 38 games.
Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham, Premier League 2005
Embed from Getty ImagesManchester United keeper Roy Carroll got away with a huge blunder in 2005, against Tottenham Hotspur. Pedro Mendes spots Carroll well off his line in the dying moments and attempts to beat the United keeper with an ambitious effort from just over the halfway line.
Carroll catches the ball but fumbles it, which appears to take the ball over the line. The keeper rushes to retrieve the ball, whilst the linesman does not flag for a goal. With Spurs furious, Manchester United play on. The game ends goalless but replays show the ball had clearly crossed the line.
It did not have too much effect on the final Premier League standings, but it was a horrible error from the officials, and one of the most infamous errors in Premier League history.
