Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has said referee Chris Kavanagh didn’t “have the level” of the Carabao Cup final after hitting out at the official for failing to take action against Moisés Caicedo for his tackle on Ryan Gravenberch in his side’s 1-0 win on Sunday.
Netherlands international Gravenberch was carried off on a stretcher just 22 minutes into the game against Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea after being caught on the left ankle by Caicedo’s tackle.
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Referee Kavanagh waved play on and the incident was not referred to the official by VAR, despite replays highlighting the severity of the challenge on the former Bayern Munich player.
Klopp said he was surprised that the officials did not review the incident which deepened his team’s injury problems, with 11 senior players now unavailable.
“There were two teams fighting very hard, and the referee didn’t have the level of the game,” Klopp said. “It [Caicedo’s challenge] was not even a foul? Then the fourth official explaining we cannot give a card… good idea.
“This situation was obvious for me, everything you need for a card. They did an x-ray [on Gravenberch]. It is not broken, but the ligaments got something.”
