Jordan Pickford's avoids disciplinary action for Virgil van Dijk challenge
Pickford's challenge on Van Dijk was reviewed by VAR and deemed not a red card offence; Liverpool defender requires knee surgery after suffering cruciate ligament damage
Jordan Pickford will not face FA disciplinary action following his collision with Virgil van Dijk in Saturday's Merseyside derby.
VAR reviewed the incident and decided that Liverpool should not be awarded a penalty as Van Dijk was in an offside position. VAR also concluded that Pickford's challenge was not worthy of a red card.
Liverpool are understood to have contacted the PGMOL over the weekend for clarification on a number of decisions during the derby.
The FA will only consider retrospective punishments for incidents not seen by match officials on the pitch or at VAR headquarters at Stockley Park.
Pickford was saved from conceding a penalty by a marginal VAR decision, which ruled Van Dijk's shoulder was offside in the build-up to the collision.
"That's all not sorted yet," he told Liverpool's club website when asked when Van Dijk's operation will take place.
"A few things are clear, so he now will be out for a while, that's clear. We don't want to set any timeframe because each player is different and each individual is different and these possible timeframes are always for the x, y, z player but Virgil is Virgil and we don't want to set any timeframe.
"But he will be out for a pretty long time and that's what the situation is. I expected it pretty much on Saturday after the game immediately, especially when I saw the challenge back. I saw it the first time only from the bench, and when I saw it back I was pretty clear that he will be out for a long time.
"So we feel now in this moment extremely, extremely for him because most of us were in a similar situation and we know that these situations are absolutely rubbish. You don't need it. You don't need it but you have to get over it and Virgil will get over it, 100 per cent, and today is already the first day, if you want, of the recovery.
"We go already in the right direction and so that's okay and the rest is football and life, like always a challenge, so see what you get and then make the best of it and that's what we do now."
Carra: Title race blown open
Van Dijk's knee injury has "blown the title race wide open", says Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, who has urged Liverpool to line up a new centre-back in January.
Joel Matip and Joe Gomez will deputise for Van Dijk, who played every minute of last season as Liverpool ended their 30-year wait to become English champions, but Carragher says injury problems in the past for those two players and a lack of depth at centre-back will be a major concern for boss Jurgen Klopp.
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