There was an uproar about several refereeing decisions in Wolves’ narrow defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Wolves fans were furious at Simon Hooper as the Premier League leaders edged past the Old Gold after a well-contested 90 minutes.
Vitor Pereira wanted more from his squad in the second half and that’s exactly what the Wolves manager got as the visitors upped the tempo.
Unfortunately, by the time the Midlands club stepped up, the damage was done as Liverpool scored twice in the first half but, there were several game-altering moments involving Hooper and those on VAR.
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett shares Diogo Jota verdict after dive
Wolves’ trip to Liverpool saw the Old Gold come up against former player Diogo Jota.
Jota has an impressive scoring record at Liverpool but, failed to hit the target against Pereira’s side, which he arguably could’ve had he prioritised a goal.
Just before the hour mark, Liverpool were awarded their second penalty of the game as Jota went down under the challenge of Emmanuel Agbadou but, VAR were not convinced with the onfield decision.
While Wolves have been done dirty by VAR in the past, it was a spot-on call from Michael Salisbury at Stockley Park.
The penalty being ruled out was a boost for Wolves but, the officials didn’t get the passage of play entirely right, as former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett communicated.
Taking to X after the game, Hackett responded to a question asking whether Jota should’ve been booked for diving, to which the former official simply said, “Yes”.
The ex-Wolf was seen to leave his foot hanging to collide with Agbadou, who had already fallen, resulting in the penalty being overturned.
Several referee errors in Wolves defeat to Liverpool
While Jota’s dive without punishment was disappointing to see, it wasn’t the only controversial call from the officials at Anfield.
There was a significant call for Ibrahima Konate to be sent off as the Frenchman clearly committed two bookable offences, receiving only one yellow card.
The centre-back was hooked at half-time as Arne Slot smelt danger, with pundits agreeing that Konate should’ve seen red in the first half.
As well as the France international’s carelessness, it was argued that Liverpool shouldn’t have received a penalty for Jose Sa’s challenge, as Agbadou was fouled by Luis Diaz in the build-up.
Both decisions would’ve changed the momentum of the game which makes it an incredibly frustrating call on a disappointing yet encouraging outing for the Old Gold.