Tribal Football

Ex-ref Clattenberg: Jota Liverpool derby winner should never have stood

Paul Vegas
Ex-ref Clattenberg: Jota Liverpool derby winner should never have stood
Ex-ref Clattenberg: Jota Liverpool derby winner should never have stoodMark Fletcher, MI News & Sport / Alamy / Profimedia
Former Premier League ref Mark Clattenberg says Diogo Jota's winner for Liverpool against Everton in midweek should not have stood.

Everton have insisted Luis Diaz interfered in the lead-up from an offside position, though their appeal was rejected by VAR.

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However, Clattenberg told Everton News: “I think assistant referees, referees and VARs complicate their lives because in the past and always these decisions when they’re so close, where a defender and an attacker are so close, for me this is an easy decision just to give offside because Luis Diaz wants to play the ball.

“The defender clearly wants to stop Luis Diaz getting to the ball. He doesn’t know that Luis Diaz is in an offside position, but he wants to stop the ball going through to him.

“Because he’s then preventing Diaz getting into a goal-scoring opportunity, and when they’re that close together, you could argue again there could be an impact on the defender’s ability to play the ball.

“So there are some factors that can be covered under Law 11. I think the simple decision is, is to give offside. However, I’m sure PGMOL will hide behind that Luis Diaz is behind the defender, doesn’t make an impact, he doesn’t affect the ability to play the ball.

“And therefore will hide behind the subjective nature of this call, but for me, the simple decision is to give offside, and the one that football wants and understands is when a player, an attacking player and a defender are that close together, I believe football want that is offside.”