Fans react as PGMOL chief Howard Webb breaks silence on Luis Diaz offside on 'Match Officials Mic'd Up'

PGMOL chief Howard Webb has broken his silence on the Luis Diaz offside decision that cost Liverpool a goal against Tottenham - and fans have had their say.

Diaz was adjudged to be offside by on-field assistant referee Dan Cook after scoring for the Reds in the first half of the fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

VAR official Darren England then checked the call and decided it was onside - but believed the initial on-field decision was onside and therefore told referee Simon Hooper to stick with his original decision.

Once the decision was made to restart play, however, England realised his mistake, but the game could not be called back to correct the error as per IFAB laws.

Since then, Premier League managers, pundits and fans have all had their say on the incident - and it was PGMOL chief Webb's turn to speak on the league's 'Match Officials Mic'd Up' programme, broadcast on TNT Sports, alongside former Liverpool, Real Madrid and England striker Michael Owen.

Webb attempted to clarify the protocols behind the incident, the thought process of England, and what PGMOL will do to prevent the error from happening again.

But there were mixed opinions from fans.

One claimed: "Howard Webb ducking against all the uncomfortable questions."

A second said: "That episode of Mic'd Up was a waste of my time."

Another added: "There isn't a single fan out there who wouldn't want VAR to take as long as it takes providing the correct decision is made."

A fourth remarked: "We need Paul Merson instead of Michael Owen on this match officials Mic'd Up show."

A fifth said: "I'd send Paul Merson in to present Match Officials Mic'd Up. Where's the serious challenge?"

Others, though, took a different view of proceedings.

One said: "This Match Officials Mic'd Up is good tbf."

Another wrote: "Howard Webb is a class act when it comes to managing communication."

A third claimed: "Howard Webb's review on [a separate] situation was clear cut and honestly justifiable."

Thoughts on Webb's comments on 'Match Officials Mic'd Up'? Let us know in the comments.

SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.

Topics: Premier League, VAR, Luis Diaz, Liverpool, Fan Reactions

Ryan Smart

Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.