‘I am sick’ - Jamie Carragher makes Liverpool VAR admission after Tottenham defeat

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher slammed the process of Curtis Jones’ sending off after Simon Hooper was sent to look at the challenge against Tottenham.

Jones was dismissed for a tackle on Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma on Saturday evening, but he was initially only given a yellow card before VAR intervened.

Hooper was asked to go to the pitch-side monitor to see a replay of the tackle, but the first image that the referee saw was a picture of Jones’ foot on Bissouma’s ankle - which didn’t tell the whole story.

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher admitted he sympathised with Jones and stated he has a “big problem” with the way in which Hooper was advised to review the decision.

“I have got no problem with it being a red card - I would have liked to have seen it not given, not because of my Liverpool angle but I always think as a referee, can you keep it 11 vs 11 on the pitch,” said Carragher.

“My big problem was what the referee was shown when he went to the VAR monitor and how he got to that decision. I have said this for a while, but straight away with the first shot he has seen, people feel as though the referee is going to the monitor to have a second look at an incident - that does not happen, it is not true. What he is doing is he is being taken to the monitor to be shown why he has made a mistake.

“We have to get that in our heads about VAR. That should not be the first shot, I don’t believe that. If the referee is going over to have a look, he should be shown the situation at full speed. I am sick of things being slowed down.

“This was the angle in full speed, watch this and when you watch it at full speed you know it’s a strong challenge, hence why the referee has given a yellow card. Then, you slow it down and get to the actual decision, with Curtis Jones I actually have a bit of sympathy for him.”

Liverpool are set to appeal the decision and it will be the second time this season that they will have gone through this process, after they were previously successful in overturning Alexis Mac Allister’s red card against Bournemouth.