In Joe Cole’s opinion, Virgil van Dijk’s challenge on Conor Gallagher in front of the Kop should have resulted in a penalty for Chelsea in their match against Liverpool.

Joe Cole thinks Chelsea were fortunate not to concede a penalty in the opening ten minutes of Liverpool’s Premier League match.

Virgil van Dijk’s challenge on Conor Gallagher inside the six-yard box in front of the Kop caused a raucous from Chelsea.

But referee Paul Tierney chose not to call a penalty, and a video assistant referee review upheld that call as well.Cole, a pundit for TNT Sports and a former Chelsea star, felt the away team deserved a penalty.

“The referee has not been great there, in front of the Kop, first ten minutes,” he remarked.

“A little bit of contact,” you say, “is probably the right choice.”

Only 16 minutes following the non-penalty, Liverpool’s Diogo Jota scored to make Mauricio Pochettino’s team’s already controversial decision even worse.

Another decision that will anger Chelsea fans follows a collision between a Liverpool player and Ben Chilwell in the buildup, and Liverpool increased their advantage just before halftime through teenager Conor Bradley.

The ‘horror’ of video assistant referees as Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher narrowly saves Liverpool from a certain penalty

After being denied a “clear” penalty against Liverpool, Chelsea fans were left angry due to another “nightmare” involving Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

With a mountain to climb, the Blues made the journey to Anfield on Wednesday night to take on the league leaders. However, in the first few minutes, they had a fantastic chance to go ahead at 0-0 when Conor Gallagher raced into the box.

While the England midfielder Gallagher was trying to create space for a shot, Virgil van Dijk looked to be blocking his path. According to the replays, the Reds defender appeared to touch Gallagher’s knee with his leg.Virtual assistant referees did not request that referee Paul Tierney review the play again on the field-side monitor because they did not think the contact warranted a penalty. Because of it, many Chelsea fans went on social media to express their extreme displeasure.

X was the target of an irate Chelsea supporter who yelled out, “VAR has had a nightmare here!” as the referee’s leg plainly made contact with Gallagher, tripping him. “liVARpool at it again,” another user tweeted.

A third person commented, asking, “How is this not a penalty on Gallagher???” a fourth person shouted out: “STONEWALL penalty!”Even worse for Chelsea, in the 23rd minute, Liverpool took the lead thanks to a goal from Diogo Jota, who was in fine form. Just six minutes before halftime, Conor Bradley scored his first goal for the Reds with a fantastic finish from a tight angle, doubling the team’s lead.

Minutes before Ben Chilwell threw himself to the ground inside the box, the opposition team demanded a second penalty. Liverpool scored the second goal. However, the left back was rightfully cautioned for simulation by the referee.