Former Liverpool defender, Jamie Carragher, has criticised referee Chris Kavanagh over the decision to send off Ryan Gravenberch during Liverpool’s 3-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.
The midfielder received a second yellow card for a foul on Jeremy Doku, but Carragher argued that the initial booking for a challenge on Elliot Anderson was the more contentious decision.
Liverpool had competed on level terms for much of the game before their dismissal left them struggling against City’s attack.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher questioned the referee’s decision to caution Gravenberch for the earlier challenge.
“It’s such a poor decision by the referee,” Carragher said. “The thing that frustrates me is that he wasn’t going to give a yellow card. He only gives it when he thinks Anderson is hurt. That has nothing to do with whether a foul should or should not be a yellow card.”
Other football pundits also expressed concerns over the booking, arguing that it affected the contest.
Former Manchester United midfielder, Roy Keane said the incident changed the flow of the game, while former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge described the initial caution as a joke.
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards also questioned the decision, saying, “That is soft. How is that a yellow card? I don’t understand,” while Keane added, “I don’t see how he can get a yellow card for that. The whole game then changes.”
City took full advantage of their numerical superiority after Liverpool were reduced to 10 men.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring just two minutes and 37 seconds after Gravenberch’s dismissal, before Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki added further goals to complete the 3-0 victory.
Keane said Liverpool struggled to cope with City after the dismissal, despite the match being closely contested for the opening hour.
“Liverpool struggled with the physicality. There were spaces everywhere. Liverpool looked like they had four men sent off. City were controlling it. For the first hour it was a tight game,” he said.
The defeat left Liverpool ninth in the Premier League table with nine points, increasing the pressure on the team to respond in their next fixture.
Liverpool are scheduled to face LASK in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Manchester City will host Paris Saint-Germain in their next European match.
