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Everton keeper Jordan Pickford will face no further action over the challenge which left Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk facing knee surgery.<\/p>\nEverton keeper Jordan Pickford will face no further action over the challenge which left Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk facing knee surgery.<\/p>\n
The PA news agency reports that the England international will escape punishment as the incident during Saturday\u2019s 2-2 derby draw at Goodison Park was seen by the match officials.<\/p>\n
Under the Football Association\u2019s disciplinary rules, retrospective action can be taken if an incident was either not seen at the time or when it was reviewed by VAR.<\/p>\n
Van Dijk was forced from the field after the pair collided during a Reds\u2019 attack with Pickford desperately trying to block the defender\u2019s passage to goal.<\/p>\n
The incident was reviewed by VAR official David Coote with the Holland international adjudged to have been offside before he was caught by the keeper, although it was later suggested that the actual challenge had not been re-examined and referee Michael Oliver was not asked to take a second look.<\/p>\n
However, former referee Dermot Gallagher has insisted Pickford should have been dismissed.<\/p>\n
Gallagher told Sky Sports News: \u201cThere are three steps: is it offside? Is it a penalty? Is there further sanction?<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it a penalty? Well, it is a penalty, so you have got to go back and check if it\u2019s offside. They check the offside, it is offside, so that negates the penalty, so I think what they\u2019ve done, they\u2019ve gone back from step 2 to step 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously step 1 eliminates step 2 and it got overlooked to go to step 3, which it should have done and we all know it should have been a red card..<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just a human error and all we can do is apologize for it and there\u2019s nothing more you can say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liverpool have confirmed that Van Dijk suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in the incident and is expected to be sidelined for several months as a result of surgery, although he is yet to be ruled out for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n