Liverpool’s agonizing 2-1 setback against Tottenham on Saturday night was as brutal a defeat as the Reds have suffered in recent memory, leaving us all feeling so cheated that you wondered if it was even worth continuing to follow football.

Losses in Champions League finals have rarely felt as demoralizing and unjust as this one.

The level of stupidity displayed by Simon Hooper and his fellow officials was astounding, and they cost the Reds dearly.

Who knows how costly their numerous errors will be once the season is through, whether in the title race or the top-four battle, but it was the latest display of stupidity by a group of officials who have never been worse in this nation.

However, Matip’s shanked attempted clearance sailed past Alisson in the dying seconds to deny his team of one of the most spirited points you could ever desire to see.

The look on his face, as well as the image of his teammates lying down on the floor around him after sacrificing every last ounce of energy, was difficult to behold, and it served as a reminder of how vicious this game can be at its worst.

What makes it even more difficult to swallow is that Matip deserved it even less, at a time when he has become a more criticized and polarizing figure than in the past.

Last season, he was all over the place at times, with shambolic performances away to Brighton and Wolves standing out, and many fans would have welcomed his departure in the summer.

Matip, on the other hand, stayed put, and what we’ve seen so far this season is a player who has overcome his slump and performed well.

With Ibrahima Konate out injured for the majority of the season, Liverpool’s lovable number 32 has been brought in, starting five Premier League games and delivering one of his greatest runs in the club in some time.

Only Virgil van Dijk (4.0) has averaged more aerial duel wins per game than Matip (3.0), and the latter’s 4.8 clearances per match are only bettered by his teammate’s 5.8.

The former Cameroon international has impressed on multiple occasions, especially at home against Aston Villa and West Ham, but he saved his best effort for Saturday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur.

Matip stayed tall in difficult circumstances, making numerous important interceptions and clearances and even bringing the ball out from the back in magnificently brave fashion, even when Liverpool only had nine men.

He and Van Dijk were enormous at the back – in fact, everyone left on that pitch at the end should have felt nothing but pride, even though they were plainly sad – and he was on the verge of completing a near-perfect performance.

What can you say about the own goal that destroyed all of Liverpool’s hard work?

The sad fact is that Matip messed up so badly that he cut into his own net off his shin, with the gravity and strain of the situation arguably getting to him.

We are often reminded that individuals in charge of VAR should be excused since they are human beings who make mistakes, but their faults have now become unforgivable.

Matip was a far greater example of human error, and how even elite-level footballers can make mistakes on occasion, and he would know better than anybody that his own goal was more than avoidable.

What this should not do is overshadow the centre-back’s performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, especially in an age where so much post-match response is determined by the outcome.

There have been few funnier, more beloved Reds players in the Jurgen Klopp era, and he will be devastated after disappointing his teammates and the many millions of supporters watching around the world.

On the bright side, this season has demonstrated that Matip is once again a reliable choice for Liverpool, having overcome his troubles from last season, when he was clearly part of a club that lacked confidence and had too many older players.

Konate is still Van Dijk’s best center-back partner, and Joe Gomez has better speed, but seeing his name on the starting lineup as recently as last season isn’t a cause for alarm.

Hopefully, the Spurs incident does not shake his confidence to the point where his form suddenly suffers, because he has been terrific this season, demonstrating that he still has a significant role to play.