Liverpool fans have been left frustrated by Dermot Gallagher's 'double standards' after hearing the verdict of the ex-Premier League official on Diogo Jota's potential red card during Sunday's win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Jota, challenging for a loose ball, caught Oliver Skipp on the head with his boot and was shown a yellow card for this incident. Spurs interim manager Ryan Mason was certainly of the view the Portugal international should have been sent off, a view also shared by Gallagher.
The 65-year-old, who served as an official in the Premier League between 1992 and 2007, appears on a weekly Sky Sports programme 'Ref Watch' and assesses each of the controversial refereeing decisions from the weekend's games.
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Asked for his opinion on the incident, Gallagher said: "If it had been a red card, he couldn't complain. I know Skipp puts his head in. The argument is he [Skipp] invades Jota's space, but should Jota have his foot that high? Most certainly not."
Guilty of a similar challenge to that of Jota's in a 4-2 home win over Crystal Palace back in August, Erling Haaland caught Palace centre-back Joachim Andersen with a high boot after failing to make contact with the ball. The Norwegian was not carded.
Footage has now resurfaced of Gallagher playing down the suggestion the Manchester City forward should have been dismissed, contradicting his recent statement regarding Jota.
"I don't think it is a red card," he said of the Haaland challenge. "It is a genuine attempt by a player to play the ball. Andersen throws himself in and he's allowed to do that, and I don't think Haaland sees him. If the referee gives a free-kick and a yellow card, it's enough. It's reckless but certainly not dangerous or gone to hurt the player."
Liverpool fans were quick to pick up on the difference between the aforementioned two responses and questioned how a different set of rules can apply to one team and not another.
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