It's been three years since Liverpool's controversial defeat at Tottenham

The official responsible for the infamous VAR blunder in a Liverpool game has broken his silence. Darren England was the video assistant referee who erroneously failed to overturn Luis Diaz's disallowed goal for Liverpool at Spurs in 2023.

Despite VAR footage clearly showing Diaz was onside, a momentary lapse in concentration led England to declare "check complete" and leave the original decision unchanged. The mistake left Liverpool, who went on to lose 2-1, furious and England deeply embarrassed.

The official, who described the error as the "low point" of his career, was then forced to see out the rest of the match, which was only 34 minutes old, fully aware he had made a huge mistake.

Finally speaking out about the incident, he told the BBC: "Once I realised I'd made the error, it's a really difficult place to try to forget that and move on. I can't just physically stand up and walk out and leave it alone. A lot of resilience was needed, a lot of experience as well."

England, who recently refereed Liverpool's Carabao Cup win over Chelsea, was subsequently stood down from Premier League action for three months. He didn't take charge of another Reds match that season and it was more than six months before he returned to VAR duty.

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The 40-year-old has acknowledged that the intense scrutiny and widespread criticism took a considerable toll on both him and his family. To his credit, England has managed to rebuild his career and is now widely considered amongst the finest officials in the country, whether on the pitch or operating from Stockley Park.

He said: "The aftermath obviously was really difficult to deal with. It was challenging because it's the goldfish bowl of the Premier League.

"But when mistakes happen, then you're in the public eye and criticism's inevitably going to come your way. That was difficult because it affected my family as well. We had people outside my girls' school, journalists and things like that. That then affects you not as a referee, but as a human being."

England, who officiated this year's FA Cup final between Manchester City and Chelsea, sought assistance from a sports psychologist. He added: "The support, not just from Pro Ref (the referees' body) but, more importantly, from family and friends, was really crucial.

"It's about perspective as well. There's a danger that we can think we're saving lives at times, but we also realise how important it is.

"I remained as focused as I could be, working hard, trusting myself, because for all that decision in the Liverpool-Tottenham game, I've made hundreds of other decisions that are correct."

England will be on VAR duty for Fulham vs Newcastle this weekend.