Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was critical of the decision to send off Alexis Mac Allister in their 3-1 Premier League win over Bournemouth at Anfield.
The Reds came from a goal down to come up trumps in a frenetic affair, as Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota cancelled out an early Antoine Semenyo strike.
Liverpool turned the tide in their favour following a disastrous start, as Semenyo opened the scoring within just three minutes, but their comeback was at risk of counting for nought as Mac Allister was given his marching orders just before the hour mark.
The Argentine and Ryan Christie both stuck a foot in to challenge a falling ball, and Mac Allister caught the latter on the ankle with his studs, leading referee Thomas Bramall to brandish a straight red card.
VAR official Paul Tierney agreed with Bramall's controversial decision, but the 10 men of Liverpool were spurred on by Mac Allister's red card, and Jota rounded off the scoring only four minutes after his teammate was sent for an early bath.
Klopp was inevitably asked about the incident after the game, and the Reds boss does not believe that VAR would have intervened to upgrade Mac Allister's punishment to a red card if he was initially booked.
"Yes, I saw it back. I think the amount of times I got asked about it [by the media] shows already it is worth discussing it again, which we will probably do," Klopp said in his post-game press conference.
" I saw it back now, in the game I couldn't... I asked Macca and he said, 'I touched him but not really.' That was all he told me. After the game I saw it back now and I think if you have a list of points of what you need to give a red card, I think the majority – besides contact – nothing else, no other boxes ticked in that moment.
"I think it is a decision we all agree if he gives a yellow card the VAR would not overturn it. He gave a red card and the VAR is not overturning it because the contact means there is no clear and obvious [error].
"Mistake, but I think the punishment [of] 40 minutes with 10 men in that weather today is already punishment enough, but let's see. I don't know. We have to talk to the authorities."
Mac Allister started in an unchanged Liverpool XI alongside Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai in the engine room, as summer signing Wataru Endo warmed the bench after receiving international clearance in time to make his debut.
The Japan international was brought on for his debut in the wake of Mac Allister's sending off, and while Klopp admitted that Endo was unprepared for the situation, he praised the 30-year-old for 'throwing everything' he had onto the field.
"Horrible [circumstances]. First game, coming in, and I think we saw Harvey [Elliott] is in a really good moment but Harvey came on as well in this game and was running left and right and then his heart rate was 240 probably and that was pretty much the same for Endo," Klopp added.
"It was two days he had so no surprise that, [while] he did absolutely alright, he came there [and] had no clue what to do. I spoke this morning with him about how with 11 players his position would look, but a 4-4-1 was not involved in our conversation.
"That's it now. I don't think he slept a lot in the last two nights so he came on now and threw everything on the pitch he had and that's it."
Liverpool's third Premier League game of the season sees Klopp's side return to the road to face Newcastle United at St James' Park next Sunday. body check tags ::
