Alan Shearer has explained he ‘didn’t like’ one aspect of Sunday’s League Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea at Wembley.
Virgil van Dijk headed in the only goal of the game late on in extra-time to win the Reds their tenth League Cup trophy after the Dutchman had already seen a bullet header during normal time ruled out for an offside in the build-up from Wataru Endo.
Fans inside the stadium and watching on at home were left baffled by the decision and former Newcastle United forward Shearer has admitted it was a decision he ‘couldn’t understand’.
He said on The Rest Is Football Podcast (via The Boot Room): “I couldn’t understand it either. Chilwell was marking Van Dijk, not Colwill. He might have got there, he may not have got there.
“But once the on-field decision was given you need something massive to overturn that, especially when it’s something so subjective.
“But from a Liverpool point of view luckily they won it because I think it was such a huge decision and a wrong call, you can imagine the reaction from Klopp at the end of the game if it hadn’t gone for them.
“I just didn’t like the decision at all.”
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Endo was in an offside position but he had no impact whatsoever on Ben Chilwell who was marking van Dijk before his header found the back of the net.
Once referee Chris Kavanagh was sent to the pitch side VAR monitor, however, you knew the goal was going to be ruled out.
It was a very harsh and baffling decision but thankfully our No.4 popped up again with another terrific header to win us the cup.
It’s refreshing to see ex-professionals like Shearer speak out so honestly about such controversial officiating decisions which could’ve cost Jurgen Klopp’s side big time.
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Dermot Gallagher and Mike Dean both say on a regular basis that the referee is not there to decide on hypotheticals. In fact, neither of them are even prepared to discuss hypotheticals with the regular pundits.
However, that was exactly what this decision was. Endo started in an offside decision and was deemed to be interfering with play because he blocked Colwill from getting to Van Dijk. A totally hypothetical situation.