Klopp’s Candid Response to Brighton VAR: “It’s About Fair Play, Not Just Rules”

Jurgen Klopp had a clear message when questioned about the non-red card incident in Liverpool’s draw with Brighton, saying, “Don’t talk to me about rules.”

The match at the Amex Stadium ended in a draw after Lewis Dunk scored a late equalizer, following Mohamed Salah’s two goals that initially put Liverpool in the lead. The second goal came from a penalty awarded for a foul on Dominik Szoboszlai by Pascal Gross, who notably escaped a booking despite suggestions of denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Klopp, who has recently experienced frustrating officiating decisions, including a VAR mistake in the previous week’s match against Tottenham, chose not to delve into the intricacies of the decision. He shared with Sky Sports after the game: “I don’t know, I have no idea. I think the foul is in the box and he got a yellow card, but if it was outside? I don’t know. Don’t talk to me about rules, I take what I get.”

Dunk, who was covering the situation, believed that the hosts shouldn’t have seen a red card. He explained, “No, not really. I think I was covering, and there were others covering. We had a good 40 minutes and a mad five minutes that killed us at the end of the half. I think we did well in the second half.”

Liverpool’s recent encounters with refereeing decisions, particularly Klopp’s call for a replay of their match against Tottenham, which ended in a controversial loss, have been a subject of discussion. Virgil van Dijk expressed his surprise at Gross not receiving a booking after the penalty incident but chose to move on, saying, “We win the penalty, we score the penalty, and the ref didn’t give a yellow or a red. We have to accept it.”

Liverpool failed to defeat Brighton in three encounters last season, with a 3-0 loss in their league visit to the Amex. The draw kept them in contention for the top spot, and Klopp praised their performance, especially in the second half. He noted, “Second half we played outstanding, the attack ended with Ryan Gravenberch hitting the crossbar. I don’t think Brighton would have given up, but it would have helped us for sure. Everyone who came on found it hard to get the rhythm of the game, so it’s a draw. That’s it.”