FA reveal Liverpool letters over Curtis Jones red card – ‘inappropriate’ use of VAR - Now soccer
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FA reveal Liverpool letters over Curtis Jones red card – ‘inappropriate’ use of VAR

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Curtis Jones is currently serving a three-match ban after a yellow card at Tottenham was upgraded to a red after VAR intervention, which Liverpool argued was ‘inappropriate’.

Jones is one match into his three-game ban and will not return for domestic action until the trip to Bournemouth in the League Cup at the start of next month.

His challenge on Tottenham‘s Yves Bissouma was upgraded from a yellow card to a red after referee Simon Hooper was advised to consult the pitch-side monitor.

Hooper was instantly shown a freeze frame of the worst possible angle of Jones’ challenge, and Liverpool subsequently submitted an appeal.

The club’s argument was two-fold, as revealed by the FA.

First, the club submitted that Jones’ red should be rescinded due to the referee making an “obvious error,” with their next argument being that the “three-game ban is ‘excessive’.”


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The commission presiding over the case was “unanimous in deciding the player endangered the safety of his opponent” and that the referee “had not made a clear and obvious error.”


But to Liverpool, and the Reds faithful, there were faults with the use of VAR, which the club said: “Was not appropriate and has pushed the referee to arrive at a decision which he should not have.”

Liverpool cited that there was “no ‘clear and obvious error’” with the initial on-field decision of a yellow card and reiterated that the technology is “not intended to re-referee” the match.

The panel “acknowledged” the argument but, unsurprisingly, moved on with the case, which was Liverpool’s argument that three games were an excessive ban.

Liverpool cited that Jones made “a genuine attempt to get the ball fairly,” there was no injury to Bissouma and that the club and player had already “suffered a significant impact” after playing over 70 minutes with 10 men and losing the match.

This, again, was rejected as “no truly exceptional circumstances existed within this case” – though, many fans will point to the lack of consistency after seeing Man City‘s Mateo Kovacic escape a red for a challenge worse than Jones’.

As for Jones’ view of the challenge, his statement said: “My sole intention was to touch the ball away from my opponent and into the path of my teammate, Luis Diaz who I could see to my left-hand side.

“I did not consider myself as challenging an opponent for the ball as I felt I had possession of the ball and was trying to move the ball to stop my opponent gaining control.”




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Darwin Nunez breaks silence after Liverpool boss Arne Slot tore into his ‘unacceptable behaviour’ following his horror miss against Aston

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Darwin Nunez breaks silence after Liverpool boss Arne Slot tore into his 'unacceptable behaviour' following his horror miss against Aston

 Darwin Nunez has promised to give his all until his last day as a Liverpool player in a defiant response to criticism following his horror miss against Aston Villa.

Darwin Nunez breaks silence after Liverpool boss Arne Slot tore into his 'unacceptable behaviour' following his horror miss against Aston

The Uruguayan wasted a golden opportunity to put the Reds in front at Villa Park, inexplicably missing an open goal shortly after coming on as a second-half substitute.

Liverpool were made to settle for a 2-2 draw and missed the chance to go 10 points clear of Arsenal, who now have a game in hand. Nunez has been slammed by fans and former Reds players for squandering the opportunity, and was even publicly admonished by his manager Arne Slot for his attitude after the miss.

But the 25-year-old has finally broken his silence on the incident and pledged to continue fighting for the club as they bid to claim major honours this term. 

‘I wasn’t the best three weeks ago, and I’m not the worst now,’ he wrote on X. ‘If I fall, I get up. You’ll never see me give up. I’m going to give it my all until the last day I’m here in Liverpool. Resilience!’


Earlier this month, Nunez was the match winner for the Reds with two late goals in a 2-0 win over Brentford. But Wednesday’s miss looked to have eroded all the confidence and goodwill that came with those heroics.

On Thursday, Slot insisted that he could not accept Nunez’s behaviour in the latter stages of the match in a public scolding of the striker.


‘A miss that I can accept,’ said Slot. ‘What is harder to accept, his behaviour after the chance. That miss is got too much in his head where he is the usual Darwin that works his a** off.

‘I think he was too disappointed after missing that chance’.

Darwin Nunez breaks silence after Liverpool boss Arne Slot tore into his 'unacceptable behaviour' following his horror miss against Aston

Nunez appeared to be particularly frustrated at the final whistle.

In a video taken at full-time, Liverpool’s players could be seen walking towards the travelling fans at Villa Park and applauding them.

However, the camera panned across the pitch to show the 25-year-old trudging off on his own. The caption read: ‘I can accept missing open goals but Nunez was strolling most of the time he was on. Shocking attitude’.

Another wrote: ‘He’s done. I don’t like that attitude post match at all.’

Meanwhile, Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler called the effort ‘one of the worst’ misses this season.

‘He doesn’t think about the game enough,’ Fowler said on TNT Sports. ‘If you’re struggling for confidence you’ve got to go back to basics.

‘You’ve got to get the ball, touch it, play it five yards. Play the simple things. You always need to go back to basics and do the simplicity of being a footballer.

‘He doesn’t think does he? It’s a bad miss, it’s a really bad miss – up there with one of the worst we’ve seen this year.

‘Szoboszlai maybe should have shot himself, but he’s played a great ball to him and he’s missed the target, criminally, from eight yards. That can’t be happening.’

Nunez has endured a difficult campaign for the Reds, scoring just six times across 35 appearances in all competitions. He was linked with a big-money to the Saudi Pro League in January, with reports that Al Nassr were close to agreeing a deal in excess of £62million for him before turning their attention to Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran.

The Reds are likely to try and offload the forward, who they signed for a club-record £85m from Benfica in 2022, this summer to pursue a more clinical striker.




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Virgil van Dijk hints at Darwin Nunez anger after open net miss costs Liverpool

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Arsenal can move within five points of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League standings with a win against West Ham on Sunday after the Reds failed to beat Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Virgil van Dijk seemed to show his frustration at Darwin Nunez after Liverpool failed to beat Aston Villa on Wednesday.

The Reds were held to a 2-2 draw at Villa Park, but they could’ve won the game had Nunez not missed an open goal from around 10 yards out after coming off the bench. The result leaves Liverpool eight points clear at the top of the Premier League standings, but Arsenal will cut that gap to five points if it beats West Ham at home on Saturday.

Liverpool skipper Van Dijk spoke to TNT Sports after Wednesday’s game. He said: “A bit disappointed but we fight. We had chances to win the game, took a bit of a risk at the end so it got more open at times. We take a point and move on and focus on a big one at the weekend, again.

“In possession we did quite well, created good opportunities to score the second. Disappointing to concede from a set-piece. We tried everything and unfortunately it wasn’t enough for three points.”

Van Dijk then appeared to reference Nunez’s miss by adding: “We should have scored 3-2, but credit to Aston Villa, they made it very difficult. We have a very tough one on the weekend again, then we play Newcastle, our focus now will be on Man City, a very difficult game, we know that. Do everything in your power to win games, the focus will be that on Sunday again.”


The Reds took the lead on Wednesday through Mohamed Salah, but they found themselves 2-1 down at halftime thanks to goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins. Trent Alexander-Arnold scored just after the hour mark before Nunez’s remarkable miss.

Liverpool latest news


Nunez, 25, has struggled to make an impression on Merseyside since his big-money switch from Benfica during the summer of 2022. He’s scored just 24 Premier League goals to date and has a habit of missing big chances.

“Wow,” former Leeds and Doncaster Rovers striker Lucy Ward said on commentary after Nunez missed his chance. “What a ball that is from Conor Bradley to (Dominik) Szoboszlai. Nunez has got to get that on target.”

Villa striker Ollie Watkins also told TNT Sports at fulltime. He said: “It was a tough game. They are at the top of the league for a reason. We have a strong record here and always make it hard for teams. Even though we went behind we reacted well and could have nicked it at the end. Unai Emery is really demanding of us and we haven’t been performing as well of late so he will be happy with that performance.

“It is nice playing with quality players and I am sure in the future games I will get more opportunities. They haven’t had that long to show what they can do and they are still finding their feet. When they get a few games under their belt I am sure it will flow and connect together nicely. Any team we play, we want to win the game and we will focus on ourselves and see where we are come the end of the season.”

Liverpool’s next game will be an even bigger challenge, with a trip to Manchester City looming. Pep Guardiola’s players were dumped out of the Champions League on Wednesday after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in Spain, as Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick.

 




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TNT Sports pundits agree: Liverpool shouldn’t be a goal down after horrendous referee error

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John McGinn can count himself extremely fortunate to have not cost Aston Villa their second goal in the first half of their clash with Liverpool.

The Premier League toppers went into the half-time break a goal down after Ollie Watkins followed Youri Tielemans’ equaliser with a late effort ahead of the whistle.

However, a fresh round of Premier League controversy arose after the Villa captain appeared to handle the ball in the build-up to the England international’s goal.

Footage shared by @footballontnt shows the Scotland international clearly making contact with the ball after a tussle with Diogo Jota for possession.

https://x.com/footballontnt/status/1892309427333579203?t=HkrkJ1yRB398Mvoh6wfXsA&s=19


Did John McGinn handle the ball in the first-half?

You could forgive Arne Slot’s men for feeling a little hard done by in recent weeks.

First Everton had a late goal that was allowed to stand despite Ibrahima Konate being shoved in mid-air – and now Aston Villa have been allowed to get on top of Liverpool despite a clear handball from the opposition.


Robbie Fowler was of a mind that his old side were let down by the failure to call the handball: I think there is a handball and the referee continues the play on, but the centre-forward play from Ollie Watkins with brilliant.”

Lucy Ward, also speaking on TNT Sports’ coverage, agreed: “Villa are given the space to work the ball down the left. I thought it was handball but then there is plenty of time to get the ball into the box.”

It’s fine margins, perhaps, but if we go on to drop a further three points (the Reds are level on 2-2, at the time of writing, after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s equaliser), it could prove a costly mistake in the context of the title race.

Liverpool haven’t been brilliant against Villa, it’s worth emphasising, and the two goals were certainly more than avoidable regardless of factors in the build-up.

We just have to hope we’re up for the test.




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Liverpool transfer news as Alexander Isak deal eyed and Arne Slot reunion given green light

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Liverpool transfer news as a sensational deal for Alexander Isak is being eyed up – while Arne Slot could be reunited with one of his former players this summer.

Liverpool has its eye on extending its advantage at the top of the Premier League, but thoughts are never too far away from the upcoming summer transfer window.

Arne Slot will be aiming to lead his side to victory over Aston Villa and a 10-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the table on Wednesday. This week could prove to be crucial in deciding who is crowned champion in May, with the Reds also facing a trip to Manchester City at the weekend.

And beyond that, a busy summer looks to be in store for Liverpool. There is of course the small matter of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah’s futures that still need to be decided, but Slot has promised more business will be done – and the latest reports suggest that could include a sensational swap deal.

Here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds on Wednesday, including a potential reunion for the Reds boss.

Alexander Isak (Newcastle United)

Liverpool will offer Darwin Nunez in part-exchange in a sensational attempt to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle in the summer, according to Football Insider. It’s claimed that the 25-year-old is the Reds’ number one target for a center-forward, with Slot not convinced on Nunez or Diogo Jota.


Newcastle though is not about to let Isak go cheaply, with a price tag of over $126 million being touted. It’s suggested though that Liverpool will look to sweeten the deal by offering Nunez in a player-plus-cash offer, with the Uruguayan valued at around $76 million by the Reds.

Givairo Read (Feyenoord)

Liverpool is stepping up its interest in Feyenoord right-back Givairo Read, according to Caught Offside. With Alexander-Arnold’s future still up in the air, the Reds could find themselves looking for a new full-back in the summer, which could lead them to Arne Slot’s former club.


It’s claimed that both Liverpool and Manchester United had scouts at Feyenoord’s game against NAC Breda in order to run the rule over Read. United is said to have already had its advances rebuffed by the 18-year-old, who is suggested to be holding out for a reunion withhis former boss.

 




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Arne Slot shares fitness update Cody Gakpo as worrying news provided on another Liverpool star

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Arne Slot shares fitness update Cody Gakpo as worrying news provided on another Liverpool star

Arne Slot shares fitness update Cody Gakpo as worrying news provided on another Liverpool star

Arne Slot shares fitness update Cody Gakpo as worrying news provided on another Liverpool star

Liverpool travel to Aston Villa on Wednesday night for the next challenge in their hunt for a Premier League title.

The Reds have the chance to go ten points clear at the top of the Premier League at Villa Park before Arsenal play next, which could give the Merseyside club a psychological boost.

Team MP W D L GD Pts
1 Liverpool 25 18 6 1 36 60
2 Arsenal 25 15 8 2 29 53
3 Nottm Forest 25 14 5 6 12 47
4 Man City 25 13 5 7 17 44

Liverpool were 2-1 winners over Wolves on Sunday but not all went to plan for the Premier League leaders as Arne Slot’s team put in an underwhelming second-half display.


This week is set to be a crucial one in Liverpool’s season with two away trips to Aston Villa and then Man City at the weekend.

Arne Slot shares fitness update Cody Gakpo as worrying news provided on another Liverpool star


Slot will be without some big stars for the contest at Villa Park on Wednesday night as the Dutch coach has now provided an update on the fitness of Cody Gakpo.

Arne Slot shares fitness update on Cody Gakpo and Joe Gomez

Liverpool were without Gakpo for the Wolves game at the weekend after the Dutch star picked up an injury against Everton last Wednesday night at Goodison Park.

Fans of the Reds would have hoped to have had the forward back for their trip to Villa Park given the importance of the 25-year-old to the Merseyside club’s success this season, however, that is looking unlikely.

Speaking to the press on Tuesday morning, Slot revealed that Gakpo will miss the Aston Villa clash, although the Dutch star will be back soon. However, there was a more worrying update on Joe Gomez.

“Both are unavailable for tomorrow,” Slot said when asked about the fitness of both Gakpo and Gomez. “Cody is close to being back and Joe will take quite a long time. He is going to be out for a number of weeks because of a hamstring injury.”

Gomez picked up his injury against Plymouth in the FA Cup at the start of the month as the defender had to come off very early in the contest on a day he wore the captain’s armband for the Reds.

This is a major blow for the centre-back as the English star would have wanted to have played his part in Liverpool’s charge for the Premier League title, now the 27-year-old may only have a few more games in a red shirt.

Joe Gomez’s Liverpool career may be coming to an end

Gomez’s Liverpool contract comes to an end in 2027 and it is unlikely that the Merseyside club will offer the 27-year-old a new deal.

The defender has been a great servant for the Reds and has stepped up this season when needed with Jamie Carragher describing Gomez as ‘outstanding’ following his display at Tottenham in December.

However, the defender has only received 874 minutes of action during the current campaign and there was interest in the player last summer, which will likely be there again ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Newcastle wanted to sign Gomez but a deal could not be reached with the Magpies; while it was reported that Aston Villa and Chelsea also had the England international on their radar.

It remains to be seen if the centre-back will be at Anfield next season but either way, this latest injury is a major blow for the Liverpool defender.




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‘Verbally agreed’ – Fabrizio Romano announces morning contract news that catches Liverpool in its radius

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One potential transfer option looks set to become more of a pipe dream for Liverpool following a Fabrizio Romano contract announcement.

The Merseysiders had reportedly been considered open, at one stage, to exchanging pieces with AC Milan in order to facilitate Tijjani Reijnders’ arrival at Anfield.

Newly arrived Federico Chiesa would head in the opposite direction, reports from Italy suggested, allowing the 26-year-old midfielder to sign for Arne Slot’s outfit.

In the end, however, it was made expressly clear that the Italian international is very much happy with his lot at L4 and the club isn’t understood to be especially willing to part ways.

Liverpool look set to miss out on Tijjani Reijnders transfer.

Liverpool look set to miss out on Tijjani Reijnders transfer


Fabrizio Romano reported on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday morning that AC Milan are set to ‘formally’ seal the Dutchman’s contract extension.

Initially set to expire in the summer of 2028, the Serie A giants are expected to extend his current deal to June 2023.


https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1891761319201640718?t=cyUhqQSAjPBoUth9CRQwMA&s=19

There’s still a possibility that we could look to engage in business in the summer transfer window, of course. Though, it would be foolish to expect anything other than a seriously inflated price for the versatile midfielder.

Liverpool could do with some good contract news of their own.

The clock is still ticking and we’ve yet to finalise an extension for any of the “Big Three”.

Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all, as things currently stand, set to depart the club as free agents at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

What a disheartening reality to potentially contend with mere moments after Liverpool potentially lift a 20th English top-flight title – and quite possibly further pieces of silverware!

We’re hopeful that the sight of our No.4’s entourage being sat with sporting director Richard Hughes indicates that talks are moving in a positive direction at the very least.

Nonetheless, it’s a point of distraction we’d much rather see resolved sooner rather than later.

 




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Real Madrid ‘want to QUIT La Liga’ and seek ‘asylum’ in rival league in move that would rock world football

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Real Madrid 'want to QUIT La Liga' and seek 'asylum' in rival league in move that would rock world football

Real Madrid have been tipped to leave La Liga and play in another league.

Real Madrid 'want to QUIT La Liga' and seek 'asylum' in rival league in move that would rock world football

Real Madrid are weighing up quitting La Liga and moving to another league after huge issues with president Javier Tebas and the referees.

Los Blancos are the most successful club in the history of La Liga, having claimed a 36th title last season.

They remain top of the table ahead of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona as it stands but Real have been left furious by what they believe to be a number of injustices against them.

Real Madrid 'want to QUIT La Liga' and seek 'asylum' in rival league in move that would rock world football


In the 1-1 draw with Osasuna at the weekend, Jude Bellingham was sent off for a comment which the referee deemed to be dissent and is said to be at risk of being banned for 12 games if his words are considered to be insulting.

According to a report , Real see Tebas as their number one enemy – believing he is taking advantage of them and “leading a crusade” against the club.


Fans on social media are urging the club to exit the Spanish top flight because of the disgruntlement with the top brass and the report notes the club could look to “request asylum in the Bundesliga, Serie A or Ligue One”.

Doing so would be a complicated process which would require approval from FIFA, as well as the green light from La Liga themselves to facilitate the departure of arguably their biggest club.

Real would also need to get the go-ahead from UEFA which could be a tricky step considering they were a driving force behind the rival European Super League which was ultimately blocked after monumental fan backlash.

However, in December it was reported that the Super League had essentially been relaunched with a new project that would “democratise football by allowing fans everywhere to watch” for free.

It was suggested that the aim would be to get the competition up and running in September 2026, though Real’s current predicament may well accelerate proceedings.

SPORT say Real “will not stop studying the possibility of also moving forward with a European Super League that will distance them from Tebas”.

Though the club have an ill feeling after the draw with Osasuna, they have turned their attentions to the Champions League play-off second leg with Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Real lead 3-2 after a last-gasp Bellingham winner at the Etihad Stadium last week.




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Virgil van Dijk makes honest title race admission: “Certain players in our team…”

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Virgil van Dijk makes honest title race admission: “Certain players in our team…”

Virgil van Dijk has spoken honestly on the Premier League title race and has revealed on detail about some of his teammates.

Virgil van Dijk makes honest title race admission: “Certain players in our team…”

Liverpool’s pursuit of Premier League glory continued with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on Sunday, but the performance raised questions about their ability to handle the pressure as the title race heats up with 13 games remaining.

While the Reds were largely dominant in the first half, the second period told a different story. Liverpool failed to register a single shot after halftime as Wolves mounted a spirited comeback.

Matheus Cunha’s stunning 67th-minute strike gave the visitors hope as they continued to lay siege to Arne Slot’s defense as the game wore on.

Despite Wolves’ late pressure, Liverpool held on to secure three vital points.


Strong options Cody Gakpo and Joe Gomez are currently sidelined, and the club will need their squad depth to shine during this critical period.

With 13 games left in the season, including potential title-deciders against Arsenal and Manchester City, the race is far from over.


For now, Liverpool remains in control—but as Sunday’s nervy win showed, nothing can be taken for granted in this fiercely competitive campaign.

What did Virgil van Dijk say after the win against Wolves?

The Reds skipper first spoke of his understanding of the tense situation, but revealed that it would be a ‘difficult’ few months for fans who are not prepared for all the ups and downs:

“We are all human beings, and I totally understand anxiety or nervousness can kick in,” he said via AFP.

“I said it weeks ago, we just have to buckle up, enjoy the ride. There will be a lot of twists and turns.”

“If you’re not ready for it, it will be a difficult couple of months for you but I feel like we as a team are ready for it.

“We will give it everything we’ve got and we will see in 13 games if that is enough.”

“I don’t know how others would think, I can only say what I think and what I tell the boys to do because I’ve been through this whole situation and come up short as well twice,” he said in reference to some of the title-run ins with Manchester City under Jurgen Klopp.

“We have to put all our energy in only ourselves and that is hard enough already – you saw how Wolves made it difficult for us and on Wednesday it will be very difficult again.”

The 33-year-old then confessed that some of his teammates are looking at other clubs, undoubtably Arsenal, but that doing this is not going to help the Reds get over the line come May:

“If you focus on other things or look at others it is only going to backfire so we keep going.”

“Certain players in our team might watch other teams but it is not going to help you.”

“I think that was also the mentality the season we won it (in 2020): we kept going, kept going and we found a way.”




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