James Tarkowski somehow avoided a red card over his tackle on Alexis Mac Allister – despite the Premier League acknowledging it as ‘reckless’.
The Everton captain can count himself lucky he wasn’t given an early bath having left the Liverpool midfielder in agony over his ‘leg-breaking’ challenge.
In the 11th minute at Anfield, the England international slid in to stop Mac Allister from getting to the ball first outside of Everton’s box.
But in his follow through, the ex-Burnley man caught the 2022 World Cup winner high up on his leg.
Referee Sam Barrott instantly brandished him a yellow card as concerned Liverpool players crowded around their stricken teammate.
But despite Paul Tierney on VAR duty taking a look, he refused to send the match official to the pitchside monitor for a second opinion.
Speaking on Sky Sports commentary, a bewildered Gary Neville said: “That’s a potential leg breaker.”
Before adding: “You do not need to follow through like with such force, and it’s high. Very lucky.”
Meanwhile talkSPORT co-host Jamie O’Hara took to social media to post: “Tarkowski is one hundred percent a Red card.
“I can’t believe VAR have let that go.”
And the Premier League were quick in taking to X to release a statement as to why Tarkowski wasn’t shown a straight red card.
The statement read: “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.”
For Tarkowski, it’s his 63rd booking in the top-flight since making his Premier League debut during the 2016/17 season.
It is the joint most amount of yellow cards in the division without ever been shown a red card.
And for Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, he simply cannot understand how Tarkowski didn’t pick up his first Premier League red card.
The Sky pundit remarked: “In terms of the referee, he is in brilliant position. He has to see that. It is a shocking tackle and there should be no debate.
“It is an awful tackle. He knows what he is doing. Tarkowski has got previous as well, against Everton for Burnley.
“The referee should give it on the pitch, but for Paul Tierney not to give that on VAR is shocking.”
Meanwhile Everton icon Duncan Ferguson said in his half-time analysis: “There’s no argument, it’s a straight red. We noticed it right away.
“How they have not given the decision… it’s a straight red. Absolutely.
“He knows what he is doing, back in our day you might have gotten away with that, because you’ve tackled and got the ball.
“But he knows what he is doing, he’s come right through him and that could have been a leg-breaker.
“That’s a straight red all day long. Maybe it’s the referee’s first [Merseyside] derby, who knows, maybe he’s a bit nervous giving the decision.
“He should have been taken to the monitor, he was in a great position, he should have given the decision on the field, but it’s a straight red.”
