Dermot Gallagher didn’t agree with how the officials on duty for Liverpool’s 4-0 win at Bournemouth on Sunday adjudicated on one contentious incident from the first half.
With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Justin Kluivert caught Luis Diaz above the ankle with studs showing, although Andy Madley didn’t even blow for a foul, never mind Paul Tierney in the VAR booth getting involved.
Speaking on Sky Sports‘ Ref Watch on Monday morning, the former Premier League referee didn’t deem it worthy of a red card being shown, but he claimed that the Cherries attacker should’ve been booked.
Gallagher said: “It’s certainly not ‘play on’. Is it above the ankle? Yes, I don’t think it looks good, but as he goes to play the ball Mac Allister just nudges him. He comes from such a short distance, he’s just off balance. It’s a free kick and yellow card, but I don’t think it’s a red card.”
Gallagher is quite right in being astounded that, at the very least, a foul wasn’t given against Kluivert, although his insistence that it wouldn’t have warranted a red card seems peculiar when weighted against his verdict on Curtis Jones’ dismissal against Tottenham in September for a similar challenge.
On that occasion, the former top-flight whistler agreed with the officials’ verdict to send off the Liverpool midfielder, which shows a lack of consistency with his verdicts on two incidents which were virtually carbon copies of one another.
One thing we will say is that the Dutchman’s challenge on Diaz was accidental rather than malicious, but you can be sure that you’ll see less severe tackles being punished with a red card this season – think back to the ridiculous one that Alexis Mac Allister was shown in the reverse fixture at Anfield in August.
On another day, and with different officials on duty, Kluivert may well have been taking an early walk towards the home dressing room at the Vitality Stadium. How it wasn’t even deemed worthy of a foul by Madley is utterly baffling.
