The body that oversees Premier League referees has accepted that James Tarkowski should have been sent off for his challenge on Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister last night.
Tarkowski was only shown a yellow card in the 11th minute of the Merseyside derby at Anfield when an ugly follow-through saw the defender’s studs hit Mac Allister just below the knee.
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Referee Sam Barrott spared Tarkowski a straight red card after the ball was initially played on the edge of the Everton box and the subsequent checks from VAR Paul Tierney concluded that a “clear and obvious error” had not been made following a 10-second check.
But Professional Games Match Officials (PGMOL) has now acknowledged that the wrong call was made by both Barrott and Tierney, with Tarkowski’s challenge meeting the threshold for serious foul play.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said the following morning: “It’s always good if they (the PGMOL) think a mistake has been made that they acknowledge it. It was so clear.”
The controversial moment came early in Liverpool’s narrow 1-0 win over their near neighbours and both managers were in agreement that Tarkowski had been fortunate to remain on the pitch. David Moyes admitted “it looked a high one” and that Everton “could have been lucky” not to play the majority of the game with 10 men.
Liverpool’s winning goal through Diogo Jota was another officiating talking point after Luis Diaz, returning from an offside position, had forced Tarkowski to slide in to clear. Diaz then played a key role in setting up Jota’s winner, but, much to Everton’s frustration, no offside flag came.
Liverpool are now 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League with only eight games remaining.
The match officials have already been appointed for this weekend’s round of fixtures, with Barrott scheduled to be fourth official at Ipswich Town-Wolves on Saturday and at Tottenham Hotspur-Southampton on Sunday. Tierney is due to be VAR for Sunday’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Additional reporting: James Pearce
(Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
