Following a 2-2 tie in their FA Cup third-round match against Liverpool, Julen Lopetegui referred to Wolves’ disallowed goal as “impossible.”
Goncalo Guedes and Hwang Hee-chan scored goals, and Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah also scored in a chaotic match on Merseyside.
However, a linesman’s call determined that the corner taker was offside in the lead-up, disqualifying Tote Gomes from scoring a late winner for the visitors.
In a call that enraged Lopetegui, who expressed his rage later, VAR was unable to find a good angle to reverse the decision and instead left it stand.
“We have seen it, and the offside doesn’t exist,” he told ITV. “It’s impossible, but someone has told him that it is offside. We have seen the image, and it doesn’t exist.
“The decision is wrong. I make mistakes every day, and sometimes they do too. Today we have the help of VAR, and it is a pity, because I’m sorry, it’s not offside.”
A valiant effort but we couldn't quite come away with the win.
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 7, 2023
A big thank you for your support at Anfield this evening. We'll need you again on Wednesday night 💛 pic.twitter.com/5cNLWHI2gg
Lopetegui was complimentary towards referee Andy Madley, telling BBC’s Match of the Day he was “very polite” when he and captain Bruno Neves took the decision up after the final whistle.
“That is a good thing for me, that is not usual in Spain,” he added “I love talking, only to show him the offside doesn’t exist. It is very clear.”
The call to cancel out the goal rankled harder for Lopetegui after Salah was effectively played onside for his own strike by a botched clearance attempt by Tote Gomes earlier on.
Lopetegui sought to draw a line under it however, adding to ITV: “It has happened now. We have to accept it. It is a pity because deserved to win against a fantastic team like Liverpool.”