25 February 2024 , 19:08
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Jurgen Klopp has claimed referee Chris Kavanagh was not at the "level of the game" during Liverpool's Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea.
The Reds eventually got the better of the Blues when captain fantastic Virgil van Dijk headed home from an inviting inswinging corner three minutes before a potential penalty shootout. While it ended all smiles from a Liverpool perspective, Klopp did have one complaint come full-time.
Reds midfielder Ryan Gravenberch left the game on a stretcher inside the opening 30 minutes after a brutal tackle from Moises Caicedo. To add insult to literal injury, the Chelsea midfielder was not shown any card for his part to play in the incident, much to Klopp's fury.
The Liverpool boss was seen ranting at both the fourth official and in the direction of Kavanagh and at one point had to be calmed down by his own assistant coach Pep Ljinders. After the game, the Reds manager was pressed for comment on the incident.
He told Sky Sports: "There were two teams that were fighting extremely hard and the referee was not at the level of the game, that's how it is. I'm sorry for that, I know they'll make a story out of that but - it wasn't even a foul? He didn't even whistle for a foul.
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"And then, the fourth official explains to me 'we cannot give a card because -' oh, good idea. These boys they are, I'm not sure if it is too much or too quick for them but that situation, it was obvious. The doc [docter] came up to me and saw the foot stamping on the ankle - that's everything you need for a card."
Discussing the state of Gravenberch's injury, Klopp added: "I hope it is not bad, they did an X-ray so it is not broke, but the ligaments or something, that's how it is."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Caicedo have been sent off for his tackle on Gravenberch? Comment below
Ryan Gravenberch had to be stretchered off after Moises Caicedo's late tackleKlopp wasn't the only one who felt the tackle was a notably bad one. Sky Sports pundit and ex-Reds ace Jamie Redknapp had his say on the challenge at half time and echoed a similar sentiment to the Liverpool manager.
"It's not a great challenge, it's extremely clumsy," Redknapp explained. "I think it always is worse when a player's foot is planted. You can see here, as Gravenberch makes the challenge, his foot is planted.
"It looks disgusting. You can see here, Caicedo is not looking where the ball is going. You can see why he comes off. It's definitely a yellow card. I can see why Jurgen Klopp was so upset and disappointed with it."
Gravenberch reappeared for the trophy celebrations on crutches and is now staring down the barrel of a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
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