CLATTENBERG: Chalking off Liverpool's goal in normal time was a FLIMSY decision
Did that block from Wataru Endo on Levi Colwill mean that a red carpet was rolled out in order for Virgil van Dijk to score? No, it didn’t.
Van Dijk was being tracked by Ben Chilwell, who lost the aerial duel as Liverpool took the lead. Hardly anyone in a Chelsea shirt even considered complaining to the referee because the block by Endo on Colwill was completely normal.
It happens dozens of times a game and most Premier League clubs hire set-piece specialist coaches who come up with these clever routines.
Yet VAR suggested Endo, initially stood in an offside position, was interfering in the making of this goal and played a key part by stopping Colwill’s run.
I found this a flimsy reason to disallow a goal in a cup final.
Mauricio Pochettino used his pre-match press conference to call for Liverpool to receive no freebies in this final just because Jurgen Klopp was leaving — comments which could land him in trouble with the Football Association —but this was a massive favour for Chelsea.
Justice was done in the end, at least, as Van Dijk headed Liverpool to victory at the very end of extra time. There was no ruling that one out.
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