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Virgil van Dijk is challenged by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. PA

Jordan Pickford to face no further action after Virgil van Dijk challenge

The England international will escape retrospective punishment for the incident that left Van Dijk requiring surgery.

EVERTON KEEPER JORDAN Pickford will face no further action over the challenge which left Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk facing knee surgery.

The PA news agency understands the England international will escape punishment as the incident during Saturday’s 2-2 derby draw at Goodison Park was seen by the match officials.

Under the Football Association’s disciplinary rules, retrospective action can be taken if an incident was either not seen at the time or when it was reviewed by VAR.

Van Dijk was forced from the field after the pair collided during a Reds’ attack with Pickford desperately trying to block the defender’s passage to goal.

The incident was reviewed by VAR official David Coote with the Holland international adjudged to have been offside before he was caught by the keeper, although it was later suggested that the actual challenge had not been re-examined and referee Michael Oliver was not asked to take a second look.

However, former referee Dermot Gallagher has insisted Pickford should have been dismissed.

Gallagher told Sky Sports News: “There are three steps: is it offside? Is it a penalty? Is there further sanction?

“Is it a penalty? Well, it is a penalty, so you have got to go back and check if it’s offside. They check the offside, it is offside, so that negates the penalty, so I think what they’ve done, they’ve gone back from step 2 to step 1.

“Obviously step 1 eliminates step 2 and it got overlooked to go to step 3, which it should have done and we all know it should have been a red card..

“It was just a human error and all we can do is apologise for it and there’s nothing more you can say.”

Liverpool have confirmed that Van Dijk suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in the incident and is expected to be sidelined for several months as a result of surgery, although he is yet to be ruled out for the remainder of the season.

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    Mute Shimmy Shammy
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    Oct 19th 2020, 3:32 PM

    Right call

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    Mute Padraic McHugh
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    Oct 19th 2020, 4:00 PM

    @Shimmy Shammy: Will you cop on.Anywhere else on the pitch it would have been a straight red no question’s asked.

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    Mute Seagoat returns
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    Oct 19th 2020, 4:12 PM

    @Padraic McHugh: This should of been a red but they got it wrong. End of discussion. Would rather see the ref association and FA learn from this and use VAR more effectively. No long term logic in handing out a ban because the Ref and VAR got it wrong.

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    Mute Kenh28
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    Oct 19th 2020, 4:17 PM

    @Shimmy Shammy: man United fans deluded as usual

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    Mute Shimmy Shammy
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    Oct 19th 2020, 5:47 PM

    @Kenh28: Wrong call made on the pitch, I think everyone is agreed on that. Liverpool fans looking for special treatment is what is delusional.

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    Mute Paul Crampsie
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    Oct 19th 2020, 5:02 PM

    It’s bad enough losing VVD for the season without Everton further gaining by Pickford being suspended. Keeping him in goal is punishment enough.

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    Mute Dave O'Shaughnessy
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    Oct 19th 2020, 7:18 PM

    @Paul Crampsie: What’s done is done, time for LFC to pick themselves up, hopefully full of furious raging fire to win the league.

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    Mute Paul Crampsie
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    Oct 19th 2020, 10:25 PM

    @Dave O’Shaughnessy: agreed, the other worry though is that we’re left with Gomez and Matip, I think they can rise to the challenge but both are pretty injury prone. If either gets injured we will struggle.

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    Mute King B
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    Oct 19th 2020, 4:11 PM

    He’s a liability so he’ll get caught out again during the season, a retrospective ban is meaningless to Liverpool but this can’t be allowed to happen again, especially with the ability to watch it over and over again to help make up your mind, challenges like that have ruined a players careers in the past.

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    Mute Didithedevil
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    Oct 19th 2020, 4:50 PM

    Plain and simple it’s because he’s England’s number 1! Shocking again from the frank spencer brigade!

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    Mute Fergus O'Connor
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    Oct 19th 2020, 4:58 PM

    We see these moments of madness from Pickford in every game. He’s panicked and flung himself into the situation without thinking. Anyone who thinks it’s pre-meditated or intentional gives him far too much credit.

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    Mute King B
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    Oct 19th 2020, 5:22 PM

    @Fergus O’Connor: Ya it was pure instinctive which makes it much worse because he’ll do it again.

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    Mute Ger Power
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    Oct 19th 2020, 5:25 PM

    Just like Liverpool will find it hard to win the league without VVD Everton will eventually slip back due to Pickford errors. While no action will be taken on Pickford surely there has to be consequences for the VAR official and the Ref. How they both saw it and thought nothing of it is baffling

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    Mute Conor Flynn
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    Oct 19th 2020, 9:47 PM

    I remember van Dijk went in late and studs up on Mertens against Napoli last year and only got a yellow when he should have seen red. His defense was “that’s football”, this is football too I guess.

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    Mute Eric Murphy
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    Oct 19th 2020, 5:35 PM

    Fairly amusing that all last season it was ‘liVARpool’ and people just moaning about the calls they were getting and the second it goes against liverpool just a bunch of fellas saying “get over it”

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    Mute Stephen Foster
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    Oct 19th 2020, 5:58 PM

    @Eric Murphy: I think you’re making their point. Liverpool got a lot of dodgy VAR decisions last season and the first time one goes against them they are up in arms. Short memory. Swings and roundabouts.

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    Mute Dave O'Shaughnessy
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    Oct 19th 2020, 7:26 PM

    @Stephen Foster: Is that’s the Premier League title they won by 23 points? Yeah, VAR was the reason for that.

    Christ please change the record on this utter rubbish about LFC getting the majority of favourable VAR decisions, they were middle of the road for favourable calls according to searchable stats, United as an example received much more positive outcomes on VAR.

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    Mute Peter Byrne
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    Oct 19th 2020, 11:57 PM

    Reminds me of world cup 1982 Germany v France. German keeper charged out to demolish Patrick Battison of France. He wasn’t even booked. How come goalkeepers always get away with this kind of behaviour. Pickford should have got red card.

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