Roy Keane has gone in hard on Manchester City defender Kyle Walker in the past, but he toned down his criticism after watching the right-back "switch off" in City's draw against Liverpool.
Walker was caught ball-watching, turning his back on Sadio Mane and allowing the Liverpool forward to equalise early in the second half at the Etihad Stadium. City had further chances to win, and had a Raheem Sterling goal disallowed for offside, but the top-of-the-table clash eventually ended all-square.
Keane called out Walker for the error, which ultimately cost City two points. However, it was nothing compared to his reaction when City drew with Liverpool during the 2020-21 season.
Keane described Walker as an "idiot" after the England international gave away a penalty against Liverpool in November 2020. Mohamed Salah scored from the spot on that occasion, though the hosts escaped with a point thanks to Gabriel Jesus.
"Kyle Walker, people keep telling me he's playing. I don't think so," he said.
"I think this guy, he's 30 years of age, international player, he's a car crash. Keeps making these types of mistakes and rightly punished for it."
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This time, though, the Sky Sports pundit was far more lenient. Indeed, he recognised the role of Mane in the move, saying "Even Walker switching off there, 99 out of 100 times you might get away with it but the really top players punish you.
"Even when he does go through he must be thinking ‘keeper can you make a save’. That’s the beauty of this attack, the top players punish you."
Mane's equaliser marked the second time Liverpool pulled themselves level. Diogo Jota had cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne's opener, but Gabriel Jesus struck to give the hosts a 2-1 lead before Jurgen Klopp's side pounced.
Klopp revealed he showed his players their first-half goal during the break, and the response of the visitors was to hit back almost instantly. "I was not convinced, but I had the sense that we could win this game as always when we play them we cause them problems," the German told Sky Sports.
"What a game, better start obviously for City - that's how it is," he said after the game. "I think you can describe it as a bit of a boxing match, put your arms down for a second and you get a massive knock, you shake a little bit and the next knock is coming from the other team.
"I thought we were closer than ever in all moments when we played football, we controlled the game, we played simple passes that's how we caught the goals. The second half start was much better. City really tried to use a couple things, like with the ball in behind."
The teams remain separated by a single point after the draw, but there will be no let-up. Both sides are in Champions League action in midweek, and will then meet again next weekend in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
