Former Premier League referee Peter Walton has disagreed with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand over the red card shown to Alexis Sanchez.
The Inter Milan star was given a second yellow card after he caught Fabinho on the ankle as he attempted to flick on a bouncing ball.
It was a decision that, in fairness to Sanchez, appeared to be harsh, with the Chilean’s early bath virtually ending Inter’s hopes of completing a comeback against Liverpool in the Champions League.
Both Henry and Ferdinand slammed Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz for his move to send off Sanchez, with his second yellow coming less than a minute after Lautaro Martinez got Inter back into the tie.
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“I want to talk about the second yellow of Sanchez. If you have played football, you know that’s never a yellow,” said Henry.
“That second yellow, if you have played football. What is he supposed to do? Obviously, your foot is going to go up because you are kicking the ball away.
“We have seen the play here. Full speed. You don’t have time to take your leg away by kicking the ball, it’s impossible.”
Ferdinand agreed with his former rival, though did state his belief that Sanchez had committed a foul with his tackle.
“He’s won the ball, you can’t tell me he shouldn’t try and win that ball, look how low his leg is,” Ferdinand told BT Sport.
“He’s bringing his leg away, in slow motion like that it makes it look worse than it is. He’s actually going to win the ball, he’s stupid for giving the referee the chance to make a decision, but it’s harsh.
“Yes, it’s a foul, but I don’t believe it’s a yellow. The reaction from the referee for me is the reaction of someone that hasn’t played the game, that is genuinely how I feel.”
But Walton, who was a top-flight referee for nine years, believes that Lahoz got his decision to send Sanchez off spot on.
He blasted Sanchez for his “reckless” tackle and argued the attacker had not done enough to avoid colliding with Fabinho.
“The law is quite specific. The foul is for a reckless challenge and in law, reckless means in regards to the consequence of the dangers to an opponent,” Walton told BT Sport.
“Yes, it's the modern side of refereeing but he's dived in and he hasn't taken sufficient action to avoid contact with his opponent.
“Therefore, in the referee's eyes - and I agree with the referee - it's a reckless challenge. Reckless defines a yellow card.
“When you slow it down and look at it in slow motion, you can make a case for both sides. But you've got to think that the referee is on the field of play.
“He's seen that in real time, he's seen the challenge going in and the actions of the player in terms of the follow through.”
Walton also hinted that the way that the Laws of the Game are written left Mahoz with little choice other than to send Sanchez off.
“The player himself is probably a little bit silly making such a challenge,” he added.
“The referee's prime concern is the safety of the players. As a consequence, it's why the law is framed for that fact.
“As a player, they might say it's a fine challenge but in a referee's eyes, he's got to make sure nothing is happening on that field that could harm or injure a player.
“The law is quite specific. A reckless challenge is when you have no action to defend the dangers against an opponent.”
