Liverpool 2-2 Tottenham

Goals:
Salah 3' 90+1'
Wanyama 80'
Kane 90+5' [pen]

Football is incredibly stupid and I hate it.

The thing is, a draw's probably a fair result. Liverpool were good in the first half in midfield and defense, but poor in attack, needing a mistake from Dier for Salah to open the scoring in the 3rd minute. Tottenham were so, so much better in the second half, with Liverpool pinned back for nearly 45 minutes. Tottenham's front six switched constantly throughout the match, but they were far more 4-2-3-1 that what was usually 4-Diamond-2 in the first half. And Liverpool's midfield tired dramatically, and Liverpool's substitutions didn't help, and an equalizer seemed inevitable.

But we're going to talk about little more than the referee and linesman. Jon Moss – the same referee who sent off Sadio Mané at Manchester City – and Edward Smart.

Let's just fast-forward to the 85th minute. Tottenham have leveled five minutes earlier through Wanyama's thunderbolt from absolutely nowhere. Karius punches Davies' cross out, Can can't complete the clearance, and Wanyama absolutely thwacks a shot into the roof of the net which ends up in the Kop 49 times out of 50. What can you do.

But we're nowhere near done.

So, Tottenham's first penalty. Yes. First. Alli's throughball. Lovren off-balance, unable to intercept, a slight touch on the ball. Kane in. Karius out. Kane goes down.

First, foremost, and absolutely everything, Kane's offside. But also Karius doesn't even make contact with Kane, who hurdles the keeper then drags his leg over his body and falls to the floor. But the penalty's given. Despite the linesman clearly saying "offside" with the camera close in on their conversation, Jon Moss overrules him.

And the penalty's saved. Straight down the middle, Karius keeps his position.

I can almost breathe again.

And then Mo Salah scores the best individual goal you will even see. With Liverpool's third shot of the half, the first in 20 minutes, and the only non-blocked shot in almost an hour.

Throw-in after Liverpool had launched it deep. Alexander-Arnold to Salah, surrounded by three. What looked to be handball ignored as Salah's first to the loose ball with everyone looking at Jon Moss. Around Davies, holding off Alli, breaking Vertonghen's ankles, chipping Lloris all in the space of three years. The footwork's beyond belief. The finish is almost as good. In injury time of a game you thought you'd lost just five minutes earlier.

I cannot breathe again, but for an entirely different reason.

That's a goal that deserves to win any game.

Jon Moss and Edward Smart had other ideas.

Right back down the field, where we'd been all half. In the last minute of added time, van Dijk swings a leg at an attempted clearance from Trippier's long throw, not knowing what's behind him. Lamela, in an offside position from the flick-on, goes down like he'd been shot. Jon Moss makes an exaggerated "LOOK AT ME" no-penalty gesture. The linesman flags furiously.

This time, Moss allows himself to be overruled by his assistant. This time, Harry Kane makes no mistake.

To be fair, this is the first time I’ve seen this angle on the Van Dijk ‘foul’. It clearly looks like Van Dijk has tried to pull his leg away & Lamela makes the most of it.pic.twitter.com/uK8Xn9qNap

— LFC Round Up (@LFCroundup) February 4, 2018

I mean, come on.

It is impossible not to feel deeply, irreversibly aggrieved. It is impossible to not to want to burn down the Premier League, FA, Jon Moss' house, and the universe.

But the fact remains that it's still two points dropped against a rival. Despite taking the lead. Twice. Like Everton, thanks to the referee and silk-soft penalty given. But also like Watford and Sevilla and Newcastle and Sevilla and Chelsea and Arsenal.

And in a match where you admittedly probably weren't good enough to win. The high-pressing system tired and faded, the substitutions off the bench either didn't help or actively hurt. The attack needed a mistake from Dier and a moment of irrepressible brilliance to score its goals, with all three stars off-form with the ball at their feet for the majority of the match.

But Tottenham – despite all the good they did in the second half – needed the referee to break through Liverpool's defense, which was surprisingly Liverpool's best facet of the game. Multiple times.

And that's what makes what might have been a fair draw absolutely unforgivable.