Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has slammed VAR and referee Craig Pawson after Marc Guehi was not sent off for Manchester City at Anfield.
With the score goalless, the centre-back was shown a yellow card for pulling Mohamed Salah’s shirt outside of the penalty area.
The VAR official John Brooks checked whether the foul was inside the area and if Guehi had denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
The decision was made to stick with the on-field call. Later, the Premier League Match Centre explained why Guehi was not dismissed for the challenge on Salah.
“The referee’s call of a free-kick and yellow card to Guehi for the challenge on Salah was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the challenge outside of the area and deemed not to be denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO) as there was a covering defender,” the statement on X read. After the game, Slot was asked about some of the decisions made by the officials.
“We can talk about the decisions,” he said (via Manchester Evening News) I would like to talk about the one time Mo was through on goal and Guehi holds his shirt. Everyone who has been in this stadium in the last eight years knows if Mo is in that position it is a goal.
“So it is denial of a goalscoring opportunity.” Slot continued: “When you ask me about what decision, I thought what do you mean, the disallowed goal at City, the penalty they got in the away game against us, the clear red card on Mo Salah in the second half here, or the penalty they got in the second half, or do you mean this (Dominik Szoboszlai red card) decision?
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“That’s only over two games, and the ones that follow Liverpool know how many decisions I can come up with in all the other games as well, all the big decisions that could have gone in some situation to a 50-50.”
Addressing the decision to send Szoboszlai off in the final moments of the game, he added: “I can live with the fact, although I don’t like it, that the referee follows the rulebook and Dominik makes a foul on Haaland in that situation which is a clear shirt-pull and he was through on goal so he would have scored. That’s a red card.
“I think the Sunderland manager is really happy he gives a red card. If you follow the rulebook, and you have a clear shirt-pull by Guehi on Mo Salah, who for eight years has been scoring that ball 100 times out of 100 – a bit of an exaggeration – and it is not a red card, then there is more of my frustration.
“I can live with the red card for Dom. If you like football you say: ‘Ah, leave it as a goal, it’s good for them and good for everyone’, but as the Sunderland manager you prefer to see it as a red card. That’s the rule and following the rules is all I ask.”
