On Saturday, there was almighty confusion both inside Anfield and for those watching at home as referee John Brooks disallowed Cody Gakpo’s goal against Aston Villa. After a long VAR check, the referee was sent to the pitchside monitor to reassess his decision, ultimately ruling the goal out. Now, the Premier League have at least explained the thought behind the decision, with Virgil van Dijk the player deemed offside. According to the statement, “Van Dijk was in an offside position from Luis Diaz’s header. The VAR recommended a review, and referee John Brooks determined it was a deflection off Ezri Konsa, not a deliberate play.” For Konsa to not have deliberately played the ball, and instead let the ball simply deflect off him, it would have been a defensive effort of calamitous proportions. This decision caused much frustration for Jurgen Klopp, who was serving his suspension for comments on another official, Paul Tierney. Incidentally, Brooks was the fourth official that Klopp was booked for celebrating in the face of when Liverpool beat Tottenham 4-3 at Anfield last month. The aftermath of that incident saw the manager receive a two-match ban – one of which was suspended – and a £75,000 fine.
