Arne Slot criticizes referee’s decisions in Liverpool’s defeat to Manchester City
Arne Slot has expressed a belief that Marc Guehi should have been sent off for Manchester City in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at Anfield on Sunday, reports BritPanorama.
The Reds appeared to be heading for victory when Dominik Szoboszlai’s outstanding free-kick sailed into the net. However, City turned things around via goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland to move to within just six points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.
They could have even had a third, with Rayan Cherki’s effort from distance chalked off by VAR in one of the most controversial decisions since the system was introduced to English football. Instead of the goal being given, Szoboszlai was sent off for grappling with Haaland, resulting in a direct free-kick.
Slot, when asked about that incident after the game, shifted the focus to Guehi. The former Crystal Palace star, appearing in just his third match for City since his arrival last month, received only a yellow card for pulling Mohamed Salah’s shirt as the Egyptian was threatening to break through on goal.
“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 (Szoboszlai red card) decision?” Slot stated. “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.”
Slot continued, acknowledging that while he could accept the red card against Szoboszlai, he felt Guehi’s challenge warranted stiffer punishment. “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,” he emphasized.
Reflecting on the overall context of the game, Slot expressed his exasperation regarding Guehi’s non-dismissal, stating, “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.”
Guehi himself, after the contentious match, commented on his situation, recognizing that he may have been fortunate to avoid a red card. “Maybe. It could have been, but that’s not down to me. That’s down to the referees and VAR,” he remarked. “And if they felt like it was a yellow card, then it was a yellow card.”
The Premier League Match Centre later clarified the decision not to send off Guehi, stating that the referee’s initial call of a yellow card was checked and confirmed by VAR, noting that the challenge occurred outside of the area and did not amount to denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity due to the presence of a covering defender.
As Liverpool prepares for their next match against Sunderland, City is set to face Fulham on Wednesday night. In a season marked by contentious decisions, this encounter continues to highlight the thin margins that define success in the Premier League.
