Patrick Vieira was left angered by a “wrong decision” by the referee which “killed” Crystal Palace’s hopes in their defeat to Liverpool.
The Eagles had battled back from 2-0 down to give themselves a chance of getting a result against Jurgen Klopp’s side at Selhurst Park. But a late penalty was given against them after a lengthy VAR check, and Fabinho converted it to make it 3-1.
The foul which prompted the decision at the monitor was a controversial one, as Vicente Guaita made contact with Diogo Jota, but it was more the Liverpool forward running into Palace ‘keeper.
Vieira said post-match: “We knew that they are a really good side, we knew what to expect.
In the first half they were by far the better side. It was really difficult for us. The tempo was all about them, we couldn’t find a way to put pressure on them.
“We came back in the second half, we found ways to put them under pressure.
“They dropped off physically and we got a goal and got into the game. We had the momentum and the tempo.
“Then there was the penalty decision. The wrong decision by the referee had a massive impact on the game. You should ask the referee to talk to you and explain the decision himself.
“I think [Diogo] Jota was really smart. Football is all about contact.
“We have meetings with the referees and they tell us football is about contact and that contact is part of the game.
“And now they’ve got it wrong and I’m really frustrated by the decision. I have seen it many times, it is never a penalty.
“When we scored, the game was there for us to go and try and get that draw but the referee killed our legs today.”
Edouard lets Vieira do the talking
Odsonne Edouard was the man who got the goal back for Palace after he was set up by strike partner Jean-Philippe Mateta.
He said: “We spoke together at half time and we knew we had 45 minutes to change the game. We tried to score the first one and after that we kept pushing.
“I think it was positive, especially the second half. We played well and were more aggressive and we scored.
“Yeah I scored but we lose so I can’t be happy for this. I think we need to keep working and try to win the next game.”
Edouard distanced himself from the VAR call, adding: “This is the decision of the referee. We can do nothing about this. We have to respect this and that’s it.”
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