Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk avoided disciplinary action in the early moments of their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham, despite seemingly elbowing Richarlison.
Van Dijk caught the Tottenham forward with a stray arm as they battled for the ball in the second minute at Anfield.
Richarlison fell to the ground after the clash, visibly clutching his face.
Once back on his feet, Richarlison confronted Van Dijk about the incident.
Referee Craig Pawson chose not to take any action against the Liverpool captain, with VAR supporting his decision to refrain from sanctioning Van Dijk.
During the ITV coverage, co-commentator Ally McCoist suggested that Van Dijk might have avoided a red card because he struck Richarlison below the chin rather than directly in the face.
Richarlison went down in the second minute after what appeared to be an elbow from Virgil van Dijk.
The Tottenham forward approached the Liverpool captain following their early encounter.
Referee Craig Pawson decided against any action, with VAR officials confirming his judgment.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about needing a quick look at it. He brings his arm up to try to shrug him off,” McCoist noted.
“There is an elbow there, I can assure you. Maybe just below the chin, but they will review it.
“He might just escape punishment because it’s below the chin. Richarlison feels wronged; he does use his elbow.
“I’m not sure it makes contact with the face, and that’s what saves him.”
Liverpool aimed to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg, with Tottenham in the lead thanks to Lucas Bergvall’s goal.
The Reds felt aggrieved in the first leg when Bergvall avoided a second yellow card just before scoring the opening goal.
Liverpool equalized on aggregate late in the 34th minute at Anfield through Cody Gakpo.
The semi-final winners will face Newcastle in the final at Wembley next month.