Empire of the Kop
·17 de diciembre de 2024
In partnership with
Yahoo sportsEmpire of the Kop
·17 de diciembre de 2024
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer were in agreement that ‘it was wrong’ for Andy Robertson to have been sent off at the weekend.
The Scotland international was handed his marching orders after being adjudged to have denied a clear goalscoring opportunity after taking out Harry Wilson during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Fulham.
Arne Slot’s men were then left fighting an uphill battle (one they went on to excel at) from 17 minutes onwards, eventually securing a share of the spoils courtesy of equalisers from Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota.
(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
At the time, we were under the impression that this was very much the correct decision, however, upon further consideration, it appears Liverpool would have every right to raise a complaint.
Gary Lineker agreed with Dermot Gallagher’s view that Robertson had been incorrectly sent off.
“It was wrong [the sending off], wasn’t it? We explained it on Saturday night. It was an odd one in many ways,” the MOTD pundit spoke on The Rest Is Football podcast.
“You were trying to make the point that it didn’t really deny a goalscoring opportunity because [Raul] Jiminez had a goalscoring opportunity and the referee let it go on.
“Under the nuances of the law, once he didn’t gain an advantage, or the referee decided he didn’t gain an advantage, they have to go back to the original foul.
“For me, his touch was heavy and sideways and across the box – and there’s no way, no way, that that was going to be a one-on-one or an opportunity.”
Alan Shearer agreed wholeheartedly on the matter: “I thought it was ridiculous. I was the same, Gaz.”
As a result, the former Hull City left-back will serve a one-game suspension, which will take place in Liverpool’s upcoming encounter with Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
You can forgive Arne Slot for expressing his ongoing bafflement with the quality of officiating in the Premier League.
As Jurgen Klopp before him likewise discovered to his chagrin, this is hardly a one-off – and certainly unlikely to be the last frustrating call the Dutchman experiences during his time at the Anfield dugout.
At the very least, we can look at this as an opportunity for some forced respite for Robertson who appeared to pick up an issue after a very harsh challenge from Issa Diop in the first half against Fulham.