03 March 2024 , 14:00
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Referee Paul Tierney made the wrong decision to give Liverpool the ball moments before the Reds scored a dramatic late winner at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
When Tierney stopped play in the 96th minute after Ibrahima Konate went down with a head injury, Callum Hudson-Odoi was in possession of the ball on the left-hand side.
Play then restarted with an uncontested drop ball that was given to Caoimhin Kelleher, despite the fact Forest were in control of the ball when the game was momentarily paused.
Liverpool went up the other end and scored as Darwin Nunez headed home to spark wild scenes in the 99th minute. However, the Forest players, staff and even owner Evangelos Marinakis were angry and vented their frustration at Tierney after the full-time whistle.
And it has since been confirmed that the Tierney in fact made the incorrect call and he should have given the ball back to Forest, which may have prevented Liverpool from scoring the winner. IFAB law 8.2 states "the referee drops the ball for one player of the team that last touched the ball at the position where it last touched a player."
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In this case, Hudson-Odoi should have been given the ball back on the left-hand flank as Forest searched for a winner of their own. Instead, Liverpool were the side who won the match as - despite Forest having several attempts to clear the ball - Jurgen Klopp's side nicked it at the death.
Forest were furious at the decision and Marinakis decided to question referee Tierney in the tunnel after full-time, telling him that he should 'respect the players'. The Greek billionaire then had to be restrained by security, while Forest coach Steven Reid was sent off after venting his annoyance at Tierney.
Reds captain Virgil van Dijk, meanwhile, cut a bewildered figure as the chaos unfolded, while Klopp was delighted as he celebrated in front of the travelling supporters. When asked for his verdict on the controversial incident, Klopp said: "It happened exactly the same in the first half didn't it? Exactly the same, just the other way round.
Virgil van Dijk cut a bewildered figure after the full-time whistle (Getty Images)"I accepted it would happen like that because it happened in the first half. If it didn’t happen in the first half, I would have asked the question as well. I would assume that's the rule, I don't know. But because it happened twice and got handled exactly the same, I don't really see their reasons for a discussion."
Meanwhile, Nuno Espirito was not drawn on the subject and refused to comment. "I will not comment on the referee," the Portuguese said. "Please don't insist on that, it will not be good. It will be a discussion point, for sure, in the week. I hope the decisions will be better."
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