Liverpool gets referee verdict on Virgil van Dijk incident during Chelsea draw
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Liverpool FC NewsFeaturesVirgil Van DijkLiverpool couldn't move in front for a second time against Chelsea in the Premier League, but Virgil van Dijk was being manhandled in the penalty area at one pointVirgil van Dijk and referee Craig Pawson during the Premier League game between Liverpool and Chelsea.(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Liverpool could only draw with Chelsea in the Premier League and after a disappointing attacking showing — albeit one missing some key men including Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah — the Reds only had themselves to blame.Arne Slot's men couldn't really create much and while Ryan Gravenberch curled in an excellent early opener, from there, the game was allowed to drift and Chelsea — a team struggling and having lost six on the spin prior to this match — was made to look much better than it really is.Former referees' chief Keith Hackett, though, believes that Liverpool could have been awarded a penalty in the second half when Virgil van Dijk was being manhandled in the box.READ MORE: Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Chelsea as Rio Ngumoha starsREAD MORE: Arne Slot responds to Liverpool boos as fans react angrily to Rio Ngumoha decision"The referee and VAR just turn a blind eye to this type of grappling in the penalty area," Hackett told Football Insider."The answer they give is that they are both grappling, so it cancels the offense out."Until the PGMOL management states clearly to their officials and stakeholders in the game that they are going to apply the law, it will continue.Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)"It is either a penalty kick or a foul to the defending team. Doing nothing is allowing grappling offenses to increase."Referee Craig Pawson did see the pulling that was going on but he opted against penalizing either party.
The VAR was satisfied that the right call had been on made on the field.The referee made a few errors during the 90 minutes, but that was certainly not the reason that a lethargic Liverpool didn't look like forcing a second goal against Chelsea."Of course it's not the idea for us to back off," Slot said in his post-match press conference.Get LFC's 2025/26 season home and away kitsThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn moreFrom $100LFC.comSee the dealLiverpool's home and away strips for the 2025/26 season are the first in their new partnership with adidas.Fans can order jerseys in the US at Fanatics.com or via the LFC Online Store in both the US and across the world."We wanted to keep going but we played against a team that got more and more comfortable on the ball.
They didn't have any wingers available, so they had a lot of midfielders, so they controlled the midfield and started to play and [were] passing through us more and more and more, which didn't lead to a lot of chances but they were by far the dominant team in the game."It was difficult to change that during the first half but I think you might have noticed as well, apart from other things you've noticed, that at half-time we changed things."That didn't lead to straight away what we wanted because three minutes afterwards we conceded a 2-1, which was good for us [because it] was fractionally offside. But then afterwards we were much more able to press them high to keep them in their half."Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Liverpool FCChelsea FCVirgil Van Dijk