Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp insisted his side were unlucky to lose to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.
The Blues came from behind at Anfield, where Eden Hazard’s brilliant late winner gave them 2-1 victory and took them through to the fourth round in dramatic style.
Hazard’s goal came after Emerson Palmieri’s equaliser was allowed to stand after VAR seemingly confirmed that Ross Barkley was just about onside.
However, Klopp still felt the goal should not have stood.
Klopp said: “It was an unlucky situation because neither the foul (leading to the free-kick) nor the goal itself was clear. You can discuss about both situations. That’s not too cool.
“I don’t think it’s a foul. He (Naby Keita) plays the ball and then I think he touched (Victor Moses) afterwards, but things like that happen.
“And then the situation – I didn’t see it in the game, of course, but when they started using the VAR I knew it was close, obviously, and it was close, it was really close. I don’t think I have the Liverpool glasses on my nose – I would say it’s offside.
“You have two players that are clearly offside and they block. They don’t touch the ball but they block players, my players. That means they have a big impact in the situation.
“And then the one, Barkley, who makes the header, for me, is offside as well. Not much. But I don’t expect that the ref (Kevin Friend) would see that. Then you have the VAR and have a look and it’s close. Why do you use it if you don’t want to make the decision then? That’s all.
“So I don’t feel bad, because it was only unlucky. You have a free-kick that was maybe no free-kick. And the other one – maybe in the future when you use VAR then you say: ‘OK, that’s offside’.
“I don’t expect using in situations like this the VAR, to be honest. But if you use it, make a decision.”
Gianfranco Zola, meanwhile, felt Hazard’s superb late goal was further proof that the Belgian is one of the best players in the world.
Hazard, having come off the bench, fired in at the end of a wonderful run in the 85th minute.
It was put to Chelsea assistant boss Zola afterwards that Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher had described Hazard as the Premier League’s best player and the Italian said: “I would like to add something on top of that.
“I think Eden is one of the best players in Europe and one of the best players in the world, for sure, and what he’s done today, that goal, is proof of that.
“He is getting better and better. He is doing the right things at the right moment and in a wonderful way.
“I think Jamie is correct in what he says.”
This post was last modified on 27/09/2018