PGMOL admit James Tarkowski should have been sent off in Merseyside derby VAR error
Everton centre-back James Tarkowski went into the book for a foul on Alexis Mac Allister early in the Merseyside Derby but some believed he should have been sent off
Referees' body the PGMOL have conceded Everton captain James Tarkowski should have been sent off in Wednesday's Merseyside Derby. Tarkowski picked up a yellow card for a challenge on Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister at Anfield, with the Video Assistant Referee upholding the initial on-field call.
Tarkowski took the ball first when he went into a challenge with Mac Allister. However, his follow-through was high and left the Liverpool star in a heap on the ground following the incident barely 10 minutes into the game.
"The referee’s call of yellow card for a reckless foul by Tarkowski was checked by the VAR, with contact on the follow through after Tarkowski had played the ball deemed to be reckless," the Premier League Match Centre account wrote on social media. As reported by The Times, though, the PGMOL has now said the card should have been a red one.
The same publication reports that it is "unclear" whether the PGMOL have contacted Liverpool at the time of writing. The report also suggests it is unlikely Tarkowski will face further punishment after being shown a yellow card by on-field ref Sam Barrott.
Liverpool still claimed all three points on Wednesday, despite the match remaining 11 vs 11 for the full 90 minutes. Diogo Jota scored the only goal of the game to restore the Reds' 12-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
READ MORE: Arne Slot offers verdict on two controversial incidents in Liverpool's win over EvertonREAD MORE: James Tarkowski's gesture to Alexis Mac Allister speaks volumes after VAR red card incidentFormer Everton striker Duncan Ferguson was covering the match for Sky Sports and he also felt Tarkowski should have been dismissed. "There is no argument. Straight red," Ferguson said. "Back in the day, you might have got away with that.
"That could have been a leg-breaker but that is a straight red all day long. He should have given the decision on the field but that is a straight red. Terrible decision."
Everton boss David Moyes offered his own take. "First thought it was a brilliant tackle for a derby game. A tackle we would have seen a few years ago," the manager told Sky Sports.
"I understand nowadays things are slightly different with follow-throughs. We might have got a bit lucky, don't put that with the goal because the goal was a different incident that won Liverpool the game."
"It is always good that if they think they have made a mistake that they acknowledge that," Liverpool manager Arne Slot said. "We all know that mistakes are being made during football matches - by us, by me, by referees.
"It is good that they acknowledge the mistake but it was so clear. Let's go on to Sunday," he added. The Reds' next game sees them take on Fulham at Craven Cottage over the weekend.
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