Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has questioned the referee’s choice not to give Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall a second yellow card before the 18-year-old scored the decisive goal in the Carabao Cup semifinal. Referee Stuart Attwell had already booked Bergvall for a foul on Luis Díaz and allowed play to continue after another late challenge by the Swede on Kostas Tsimikas. As Liverpool’s attack slowed down, Attwell did not stop the match to issue a yellow card to Bergvall, and shortly afterward, the teenager scored past Alisson following good work from Dominic Solanke while Tsimikas was off receiving treatment. “It was quite obvious there was gonna be a second yellow,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports after the match. “It was pretty clear, and then a minute later he scores the winner.” It is what it is. I believe the referee made an error, and I informed him of that. He believes he didn’t. It was clear to everyone watching that a linesman, a fourth official, and VAR were present, yet he still didn’t receive a second yellow card. I’m not claiming this was the cause of our loss, but it was a significant moment in the match. The Dutch player also mentioned that Attwell’s decision wasn’t the sole reason Liverpool will approach the second leg at Anfield with a disadvantage. “We faced a high-intensity team with skilled attackers who continuously press and create challenges,” he stated. “We created some opportunities — not exactly clear chances in my view, but sufficient that we could have scored. At times, we could have performed better.”
