The PGMOL has admitted James Tarkowski should have been sent off for his tackle on Alexis Mac Allister during Liverpool’s win over Everton in the Merseyside derby.
Tarkowski escaped a red card despite lunging in high on Mac Allister during the first half at Anfield. The Everton defender was shown a yellow card for the challenge by referee Sam Barrott, with VAR Paul Tierney deciding not to upgrade it.
That decision has proven to be highly contentious, with pundits – including Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher – universally agreeing that Tarkowski should have been sent off, while former referee Mike Dean insisted a red card should have been produced.
Now, according to The Mirror’s John Cross, there is an acceptance from PGMOL that the follow-through constituted serious foul play, and should have resulted in a red card. An explanation during the game had deemed the challenge to be “reckless” and not a clear and obvious error from the officials.
Tarkowski was seen apologizing to Mac Allister after the game, with the Liverpool midfielder having since broken his silence with a message on social media. The Everton defender has also admitted he may have been lucky to stay on the pitch.
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“Yeah, I spoke to him and apologized because it’s not a great tackle,” Tarkowski said. “When the ball fell between us, I actually thought he was just going to come and I was expecting a big old school 50/50 tackle.
“He just pulled out of the tackle, and as I lunged in, I caught him pretty high, so I’ve apologized to him and he’s accepted it, so yeah, not a great one from me.”
Giving his thoughts on the incident, Liverpool boss Arne Slot said: “I don’t want to comment about the situation because so many people already commented on that,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said after the game.
“Even people who don’t like Liverpool a lot were so clear and obvious about what the decision should have been. Was I surprised? No.”
