Why Florian Wirtz didn’t celebrate controversial equaliser in Liverpool’s draw with Fulham
The Reds were trailing 1-0 after Harry Wilson’s first-half opener when Wirtz appeared to level the score just before the hour mark
Florian Wirtz has admitted he initially thought he was offside for his controversial equaliser in Liverpool’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Fulham.
The Reds were trailing 1-0 after Harry Wilson’s first-half opener when Wirtz appeared to level the score just before the hour mark.
The linesman’s flag was raised, and despite replays suggesting he may have been offside after Conor Bradley’s pass, VAR overturned the decision and awarded the goal.
Wirtz later revealed he chose not to celebrate at first because he believed he was offside.
“I was sure it was offside, so I didn’t even celebrate,” he said. “I was happy that I scored, but I’d rather take the three points.”
Liverpool then looked set to win when Cody Gakpo scored in stoppage time, only for Harrison Reed to snatch a point for Fulham with a stunning long-range equaliser moments later.
“Not satisfied at all,” Wirtz said on the draw. “We need points and we wanted three points today. We know there’s no easy game in this league.
“The intensity we brought on the pitch in the second half was much better. We didn’t press them well in the first half, but the second half was much better.”
He added: “The strike, there is nothing to say. It was unbelievable. You cannot save that ball.
“Normally, it doesn’t go in like this. The actions before could have been better, I’m not sure. It was from a throw-in, so we have to be better.
“Again, we are in a difficult situation because we drew two times. It’s not what we want, we want more. We have to get better, but it’s still a process.”
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