Diogo Jota has confirmed he apologised to Oliver Skipp for his challenge on the Tottenham midfielder in Liverpool's 4-3 Premier League win over Spurs at Anfield. With the visitors pushing for an equaliser, Jota and Skipp contested a loose ball, with the latter using his head while the Portugal international went boot-first, catching Skipp in the face.
The 26-year-old was booked for the foul before then going on to score the winner after Richarlison thought he had snatched a point for Spurs right at the death. After the game, Jota gave his verdict on the incident where he explained why he thinks referee Paul Tierney did not brandish a red card.
"It's not a great tackle," he revealed to BBC's Match of the Day. "I also touched the ball. I also think he gets his head down. It's just brave from him. Unfortunately it's a foot in the face. I saw the ref could see I didn't mean it and it's just football."
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In another post-match interview, the former Wolves man confirmed what he told Skipp right after the challenge had happened. "It was not good, obviously it’s not my intention to cause any harm to him," he told Premier League Productions.
"But unfortunately, it happened. “I asked him ‘sorry’, that’s all I could do after that bad tackle but I also think it’s not a red because I touched the ball and there was no intention to cause him any harm.”
Tottenham interim head coach Ryan Mason certainly did not see the incident that way and demanded an explanation from the Premier League as to why Jota remained on the pitch after the foul. "I would like an explanation and a reason why it wasn’t," the 31-year-old told reporters after the game.
"I can understand referees and officials on the pitch missing it even though my feeling was an instant red card because when your foot is studs showing and you're five and a half feet off the ground and make contact with a player's head and draw blood, and there is a gash, I think it ticks all the boxes.
"Probably more so an experienced referee in the VAR room, you want him to help the official on the pitch in that moment. Listen, it's decided the game because that player on the pitch shouldn’t have been on there at the end decided the game. I'm pretty sure most football people's opinions will probably feel the same."
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