Sports mail reports that Merseyside Derby video assistant David Coote thought he couldn’t punish Pickford for having van Dijk sidelined before rattling off the Everton shotstopper.
Pickford pounced on the Liverpool center-back, who damaged his ACL in the incident and could now miss the Reds’ entire title defense in the Premier League.
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Van Dijk Cops HORROR tackle it
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Coote neglected to look into the possible red card, but instead thoroughly checked whether Van Dijk was offside, which, according to Sportmail, was diverted from the more important decision, according to Liverpool insiders.
The publication reports that Liverpool are now asking the referees to clarify how the incident is handled.
Head umpire Mike Riley reportedly told the club that the umpires had indeed reviewed the Pickford challenge and that they did not deserve a red card.
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Red card and late VAR drama
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