Jamie Carragher felt Wolves full back Rayan Ait-Nouri was very fortunate to avoid being sent off in his side’s 1-0 defeat at Manchester City.
With Wolves looking to get back into the game after Kevin De Bruyne’s first half strike, Ait-Nouri rolled his foot over the ball but then caught Bernardo Silva high on the shin with his follow through.
Silva was left writhing on the floor in agony, and when play was stopped, VAR began to review the incident. As Sky Sports replayed Ait-Nouri’s challenge, Carragher started to fear the worst for him.
‘I think he might have a problem,’ Carragher said on co-commentary. ‘It always looks worse in slow motion but he just tries to roll the ball here, it doesn’t look great that. I think he’s going to get sent off.’
The check continued, and Carragher admitted he could not see any mitigating circumstances that could save Ait-Nouri from a red card.
‘It’s a long way away from the ball,’ he added. ‘Things always look worse in slow motion but it doesn’t look great at normal speed either.’
Rayan Ait-Nouri caught Bernardo Silva high on the shin in the second half of Friday’s match
Silva was left writhing on the floor in agony as VAR checked the incident
However, after a review of over a minute, VAR determined that the tackle was not worthy of a red card and Ait-Nouri was allowed to play on.
As the game got back underway, Carragher branded Ait-Nouri a ‘lucky boy’ after being left bemused by the VAR decision.
Silva was able to complete the final 20 minutes following the ugly challenge as City held on for a vital win in their quest for a top-five finish.
Pep Guardiola’s men are now up to third in the table after four straight league wins, and are just three points behind second-placed Arsenal, albeit having played a game more than the Gunners.
City still have work to do, but are now closing in on securing another season of Champions League football.
For Wolves, their run of six top-flight victories on the trot is over, and they remain in 13th place.
