Liverpool VAR decision: Ex-Premier League referees disagree over call which angered Sheffield United boss

Ex-Premier League referees Dermot Gallagher and Keith Hackett have disagreed over the decision to award Liverpool's second goal in Wednesday's 2-0 victory at Sheffield United.

The Reds picked up all three points at Bramall Lane as Virgil van Dijk thumped in the opening goal from Trent Alexander-Arnold's corner before Dominik Szoboszlai sealed the win as he hammered past Wes Foderingham in second-half stoppage time.

Nunez provided the cross for the Hungarian but his challenge on Jayden Bogle proved a point of contention. After losing possession, Nunez looked to win the ball back, with the striker planting his leading foot on the ball but bringing his trailing leg through the back of the Blades defender which knocked him to the turf.

Taking to social media to reveal his surprise about the decision, Hackett said: "I am bemused that ref [Simon] Hooper and VAR [Michael] Oliver judged that this [Nunez tackle on Bogle] was not a foul. Totally wrong in law." However, Gallagher insisted the challenge was not a foul, as he agreed with on-field referee Simon Hooper and VAR Michael Oliver.

He told Sky Sports ref watch: "Nunez has quite clearly won the ball. He gets all of the ball and gets it before he makes contact with Bogle. If that was a Sheffield United player going into the penalty area and he makes a tackle like that you would never expect a penalty to be given against him.

"I think it's a tackle, the referee sees it clearly and it was checked by the VAR afterwards. Without doubt, Nunez clearly gets the ball first, comes away and Bogle goes over him, so for me it's not a foul."

Blades boss Chris Wilder vented his frustration after the game, as he felt the goal should have been ruled out. He said: “I was most disappointed with the tackle by the centre-forward on Jayden Bogle. Twenty-five years ago when I was playing, people would talk about it and say that’s a decent tackle. Might have been aimed at me, that, where you take the ball but you take the man.

“He’s wrapped his legs right around Jayden Bogle and it’s resulted in the second goal. I understand the second goal. I’m not a manager who’s just going to sit back.

“We opened up in the last 10 minutes, we made substitutions and we changed the formation late on. We knew it was going to go to that, and the boy’s found a fabulous finish. But I think it’s a foul. I think there is a foul leading up to it where he jumps into Jack Robinson. It’s a foul.”