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The referee explains why Joe Gomez’s high kick in Liverpool vs Tottenham was not a penalty

Liverpool almost came out of the Tottenham game with a ‘comfortable win’ narrative intact. Having gone four goals in front, Tottenham’s double could be attributed to the hosts taking their foot off the gas after a series of changes, and Jürgen Klopp could celebrate a long-awaited return to a truly recognizable brand of football.

However, a third Spurs goal would have made things really uncomfortable. And while Liverpool certainly had chances of their own to re-extend their lead, Tottenham fans were left fuming that referee Paul Tierney did not point to the spot following a Joe Gomez challenge on Brennan Johnson .




Over the years, Klopp has had plenty of run-ins with Tierney, who could certainly never be accused of pro-Liverpool bias. But a number of Tottenham players felt Gomez went high on Johnson, whose head made contact with the defender’s boot, before Spurs’ drive saw him also hit the post.

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In fairness, the call was stopped on the field, the outrage coming primarily after the fact. This is often a sign that the officials have reached the result the game “expects”, regularly cited as a guide for VAR interventions.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Dermot Gallagher explained why both Tierney and the VAR officials ultimately decided not to award a penalty. He believes that the correct result has been reached.

“It’s difficult to give a penalty when a player clearly gets the ball first,” explained Gallagher. “But he’s taking a huge risk in making a challenge like that, because if he makes contact with the player before the ball, it’s definitely going to be a penalty – because of how high his boot is going to be.

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