Following Tottenham Hotspur’s recent 2-1 Premier League victory over Liverpool, Alexis Mac Allister and Cristian Romero exchanged sarcastic comments on social media. The two Argentine internationals are both members of the national team.
The duo who lifted the 2022 World Cup for Argentina faced off each other as Spurs hosted Liverpool on Saturday. The showdown between Tottenham and Liverpool was marred by controversy, with dramatic twists and turns that had fans and players alike on the edge of their seats. However, it was a late winner for Tottenham that stole the headlines, leaving the Reds and Mac Allister frustrated.
Following the dramatic victory, Cristian Romero took to social media to celebrate the win with his Tottenham teammates. He shared an image of the jubilant post-match celebrations at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium along with the caption: “This team has great spirit, great heart. always like this, all together @spursofficial”.
Alexis Mac Allister: Normal when you play with 12
Cristian Romero: Cry at home
This interaction between Argentina teammates on Romero’s victory post after Spurs beat Liverpool 😂 pic.twitter.com/2SMRbBhrMN
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 30, 2023
Surprisingly, it was Alexis Mac Allister, Romero’s Argentine compatriot and Liverpool midfielder, who decided to respond with a sharp comment. Mac Allister quipped, “Normal when you play with 12,” seemingly taking a dig at the match referee, Simon Hooper, and implying that Tottenham had an unfair advantage. Romero was quick to retort, firing back at Mac Allister with a cutting response: “Go cry at home”.
Despite holding out for more than 25 minutes with only nine men on the field, Mac Allister was left to watch from the sidelines as his team conceded late in the game. Curtis Jones was dismissed from the game, and then Luis Diaz’s goal was ruled out for offside, which greatly agitated the Liverpool players and supporters.
PGMOL admits error in Liverpool’s disallowed goal
In a Premier League clash that had fans on the edge of their seats, one pivotal moment left a lasting mark on the match between Tottenham and Liverpool. The officials in charge of the encounter incorrectly disallowed Luis Diaz’s apparent goal for Liverpool against Spurs, and now, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has admitted to a “significant human error” in officiating the game.
PGMOL should be in real trouble
There is no way these pathetic decisions can be made every weekend!!!!The amount of wrong calls made today is ridiculous, where is the consistency promised when VAR was introduced?
We need answers this is unacceptable #TOTLIV #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/pbHIdaXqWa
— Reasons (@LFCReasons) September 30, 2023
The incident unfolded in the first half when Luis Diaz found the back of the net for Liverpool. However, the on-pitch officials flagged the goal offside, much to the frustration of the Liverpool players and fans. This contentious decision took place while Liverpool was already down to ten men and the scoreline remained 0-0.
Even VAR conducted a swift review but did not overturn the decision, and crucially, the replays did not feature drawn lines to clarify the situation.
Official PGMOL statement. Corruption. pic.twitter.com/H6iTmwZJzl
— The Anfield Talk (@TheAnfieldTalk) September 30, 2023
The PGMOL took accountability for the error and also released a statement acknowledging it following the match. In its statement, the PGMOL promised to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident in order to prevent similar mistakes from occurring in the future.
The statement read: “PGMOL acknowledges a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool. The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention. However, the VAR failed to intervene”.
The PGMOL’s admission of error may offer some consolation to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. His team finished the game with just nine players after Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota received red cards. The incorrectly disallowed goal by Luis Diaz added to Liverpool’s woes that day.
