Former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee Keith Hackett has accused the match officials of making a big mistake towards the end of Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat away at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The reigning Premier League champions were outclassed against PSG, who won the Champions League for the first time last season, at the Parc des Princes.
Liverpool failed to register a single shot on target as goals from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia secured a deserved quarter-final first-leg victory for Luis Enrique’s impressive side.
However, with the aggregate score at 2-0, Liverpool know they still have an outside chance of reaching the semi-finals next week at Anfield. Dominik Szoboszlai claims he’s optimistic, even if the reaction from fans towards the Liverpool midfielder’s post-match comments has been less than positive.
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Keith Hackett: Match Officials Got Konate Decision Wrong
Ibrahima Konate
Ibrahima Konate
Had PSG scored another goal, the tie would almost certainly be beyond reach for Liverpool, considering how the team are currently performing under beleaguered manager Arne Slot.
Keith Hackett believes PSG should have been awarded the opportunity to make it 3-0 on Wednesday night during the closing stages of the match.
Ibrahima Konate escaped punishment for a push on full-back Nuno Mendes inside the box. “I’m telling you right now, that’s a penalty,” co-commentator Ally McCoist said live on TNT Sports. Commentator Darren Fletcher added: “That’s a foul. It’s crazy, by the way.” Watch the incident below:
To the astonishment of the two commentators, VAR quickly dismissed the incident as a ’check over’ message was displayed on-screen.
Hackett has now cast his verdict and is convinced the match officials came to the wrong decision. The 81-year-old former English ref told Football Insider:
“This was a push by Konate that should have resulted in the award of a penalty kick.
“The subtle push impacted on the forward, who lost balance and went to ground. VAR should have intervened to enable the referee to have a second (view of the) incident.”
Hackett Casts Verdict on Earlier Konate Incident
Konate came close to conceding a penalty during a separate incident earlier in the second half. Referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martínez initially awarded a spot-kick when Konate appeared to foul Warren Zaire-Emery inside the box; however, the decision was overturned when the incident was reviewed on the pitch-side monitor.
On this decision, Hackett said: “(This was) a very good intervention by VAR to see that the referee in awarding a penalty kick had made a clear and obvious error.
“The decision was reviewed and correctly overturned.”