Liverpool supporters furious over Arsenal vs Man City VAR call after Curtis Jones red card vs Tottenham
Manchester City star Mateo Kovacic may have been lucky to stay on the pitch after two dangerous tackles against Arsenal which prompted many complaints from Liverpool fans.
Liverpool fans were angered by the referees’ perceived inconsistency in the match, as Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City sparked further debate over the referee’s actions. It was born in a big match between the two title hopefuls when they met in the league last season.
The Gunners struggled in the early stages of the game at the Emirates Stadium as City faced a shaky looking home side. David Raya’s errors raised questions about the manager’s goalkeeping decisions and Declan Rice’s goal-line clearance saved the Spaniard from blushing.
Referee Michael Oliver and VAR Craig Pawson asked questions after Martin Odegaard was tackled by Mateo Kovacic. The Croatia international’s bars appeared to touch the Arsenal captain’s ankle and he was initially shown a yellow card.
After a VAR review in the background, the decision was overturned and play resumed, giving the midfielder a possible rest. Another question had to be asked by the officials after Kovacic flew into another thoroughbred fight moments later.
Declan Rice remained benched as many protested Oliver’s decision not to book the former Chelsea man for another bad performance. This may have come as a slight surprise to many, as some argued that City had the fortune of not being reduced to ten men. While Arsenal had some complaints, rivals Liverpool also raised questions about the inconsistency of the referees in the match. It was a similar situation in the Reds’ game against Tottenham last week, where Curtis Jones received a straight red for a tackle that involved studs above the ankle, and Diogo Jota received a second yellow for a comparatively dull tackle. To Kovacic.
Many Liverpool fans took to social media to talk about decisions they felt went against them and Manchester City.
@PhilFM_: So you’re telling me Jones was sent off last week after a VAR review but Kovacic stays. lol. Jota was also sent off for two quick yellow card offences. Inconsistency is a big problem.”
@thomas_grier: “Jota was stupid last week when he gave the referee a second yellow. Kovacic was worse than Jones’ red and then takes an even worse shot than Jota and doesn’t get a second yellow. We just ask for consistency. .”
@drewturner__: “How did Kovacic pull this off? If Jones is red then so be it. They must really hate us huh?”
@AdamLFC87: “Kovacic, still on the pitch after those two hits, laughs at Jota’s two yellows last week…”
@didgy40: “That second tackle from Kovacic was similar to the one that booked Jota last week, minus the consistency.”
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