With many doubts, the arbitration left many doubts after the incident with Luis

Not for the first time this season, Liverpool has found itself at the heart of a refereeing controversy. Fortunately, this time the result was not impacted, as Jürgen Klopp's side chalked up an impressive 4-0 win against Bournemouth. That has not always been the case. Liverpool's sole Premier League defeat of the season up to this point is the loss to Spurs, a goal in which the officials agreed to award Luis Díaz for a goal, only for the wrong decision to be communicated back to the on-field referee. There was further controversy in the very same game, with Curtis Jones being shown a red card.

Klopp's masterclass that could get Ten Hag sacked at Man United

The PGMOL had no choice but to apologize for the VAR fiasco although as Klopp pointed out by reference to a replay, that does not bring back any points for Liverpool. The way the season is panning out, with a tight race at the top of the Premier League, the officials involved in that error will just have to hope it does not prove decisive. But there was apparently no mistake in the decision to dismiss Jones. Liverpool appealed the suspension, but was unsuccessful, hence the uproar about the latest Díaz incident in the Bournemouth game.

The way Justin Kluivert dived in on the Colombian, catching him high on the ankle, shared a lot of the hallmarks of that Jones challenge. If anything, it was worse, given that the Liverpool midfielder's foot slipped over the ball, whereas the Bournemouth attacker caught his man directly. Remarkably, the on-field officials did not even give it as a foul. Liverpool.com understands that the referee, Paul Tierney, felt that the tackle was reckless rather than dangerous and so could not intervene.

Speaking on Ref Watch, Dermot Gallagher has been highly critical of that decision, acknowledging that it was a clear mistake against Liverpool: "It’s certainly not ‘play on’. Is it above the ankle? Yes, I don’t think it looks good."

(VIDEO) Manchester United in the mud, AI recreates Salah's humiliation of them

The explanation of the situation

However, Gallagher defended the decision not to dismiss Kluivert. He cited the involvement of Alexis Mac Allister in the incident: "As he goes to play the ball Mac Allister just nudges him. He comes from such a short distance, he’s just off balance. It’s a free kick and yellow card, but I don’t think it’s a red card."