Former Professional Game Match Officials Board chief Keith Hackett believes Liverpool have every right to be aggrieved after Stuart Attwell didn’t send Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall off during the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday evening. The already booked Bergvall avoided a second yellow card for a late tackle on Kostas Tsimikas as the Reds counter-attacked in the 84th minute.

And Liverpool’s anger only increased when Bergvall scored the only goal of the game 120 seconds later. Reds boss Arne Slot and his players cut frustrated figures after the game as they bemoaned the decision made by Attwell.

Reacting to the decision and fallout, Hackett said he understood Liverpool’s frustration not only around the decision but also the fact that Tsimikas was not allowed back on to the field of play to help prevent the goal.

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Writing in The Telegraph, he said: “Having issued a rather harsh yellow card to Tottenham Hotspur youngster Lucas Bergvall in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, a clear reckless challenge shortly afterwards fully deserved a second yellow. The fact that Tottenham still had 11 players on the pitch was hard enough for Liverpool to swallow, but add the fact that the player who should have been sent off was the one who scored, and I can understand why the away side were so upset.

“It was a clear reckless challenge and one that the referee, Stuart Attwell, had a clear view of. If he required help, you have to ask where was the raised flag from the assistant referee, who was in close proximity to the incident?

“To make matters worse for Liverpool, Attwell’s decision to wave advantage and not give a foul meant that the player who was on the receiving end of Bergvall’s tackle, Konstantinos Tsimikas, had to leave the pitch. Rules state a player who requires medical treatment not caused by a foul must leave the field of play and wait for the referee to wave them back on.

“Tsimikas did just that, but was not waved back onto the field as Tottenham attacked, and Dominic Solanke’s run that led to the goal assist came in the area of the pitch where you would expect Tsimikas to be defending. That is a doubly bitter pill to swallow, and Liverpool have every right to be aggrieved.”