Liverpool Boss Jurgen Klopp has claimed referee Chris Kavanagh was not at the ‘level of the game’ during his side’s Carabao Cup final clash with Chelsea.
The Reds lifted the trophy for the 10th time in their history thanks to a Virgil van Dijk header deep into extra time at Wembley.
Despite experiencing glory, Klopp was unsatisfied with the referee as he felt some decisions, including Moises Caicedo’s tackle on Ryan Gravenberch, went against his side.
He told Sky Sports: ‘There were two teams that were fighting extremely hard and the referee was not at the level of the game, that’s how it is. I’m sorry for that, I know they’ll make a story out of that but – it wasn’t even a foul? He didn’t even whistle for a foul.
‘And then, the fourth official explains to me ‘we cannot give a card because -‘ oh, good idea. These boys they are, I’m not sure if it is too much or too quick for them but that situation, it was obvious.
‘The doc [docter] came up to me and saw the foot stamping on the ankle – that’s everything you need for a card.’
Caicedo lunged ino Gravenberch with a reckless tackle in the opening 30 minutes but got away without even receiving a card.
Klopp was left fuming on the touchline and at one point had to be calmed down by his own assistant coach Pep Ljinders.
Gravenberch had to eventually be stretchered off and added to Liverpool’s long list of injuries which includes the likes of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
On the Dutch midfielder’s injury, Klopp added: ‘I hope it is not bad, they did an X-ray so it is not broke, but the ligaments or something, that’s how it is.’
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
