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.
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I am not sure what these referees agenda against Liverpool. It is so obvious and becoming really dangerous to their credibility and the League’s.
As a football fan but I have found that I have no desire to watch any games this year beyond my Liverpool’s and that,’s only because I support the.
AGREED WITH YOU, REFEREES KNOWS WHEN ITS A BAD TACKLE, BUT WHEN IS A LIVERPOOL PLAYER THEY CAN SENT THEM OFF WITHOUT ANY DOUBTS JUST BECAUSE ITS LIVERPOOL..HOW UNFAIR IT IS? THESE SO CALLED REFEREES ARE KILLING THE PREMIER LEAGUE, START TO BE A INTERNATIONAL JOKE ..MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WATCH THE PREMIER LEAGUE..THEM THE CRAZY AND CORRUPTED GANG ARE OUT TO SPOIL THE GAMES , WITH THE COLLABORATION OF THE PGMOL AND THE ENGLISH F.A..
The referee’s are killing the games with their HATERS desires..
Obvious agenda against Liverpool. Every Monday when discussing Var we are talking about a bad or an unjust decision against Liverpool. They have already lost at least 4 points because of human error or bad var decisions v Spurs and Arsenal. Apologies for this does not work. Paul Tietney has been involved in several controversial inciidents and has been found to be wrong on most occasions surely for credibility sake he should be made to steer clesr from all Pool games
I think the referee’s should be punished more then slap on the wrist its ridiculous how the referee’s do their job so unprofessional that includes the VAR referee’s to……pathetic really pathetic…. LFC for life.
Inconsistency at all levels of the EPL officiating Referees; especially when it concerns and favours Liverpool FC. It’s so very sad; especially this season. Nobody cares about integrity anymore. But this has to stop, because the game is becoming uninterested.
Let’s not split hair’s Dermott all we want to see is consistency so if Kluivert was nudged (mitigating circumstances) when the field is wet a player slips going into a tackle but the one is given and the other not. All refs and the pgmol are biased against Liverpool. We lost two league titles by 1 point each due despicable referees this bullshit must stop this is not WWE
Do the referees have an agenda against Liverpool? If so, why?
Typical “Old Boys Club”!!!
Just another sphincter muscle!!!!
My question is what did Liverpool do wrong to the refs l have noticed this for so many years this bad referring decision against, Liverpool,pliz Dermot can you come out clean