PGMOL – the referee’s governing body for the English game – have made a new admission on James Tarkowski’s ‘leg-breaker’ challenge in the Merseyside derby.
The Everton defender caused uproar when he lunged in on Alexis Mac Allister in the opening minutes of the game, as he slid in to clear a ball and crunched his man on the follow through.
Mac Allister hit the deck in pain as Liverpool players swarmed referee Sam Barrott to call for the centre back to be given his marching orders – as Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure were in the reverse fixture just weeks ago.
It was widely expected that a VAR review would see Barrott’s yellow card decision overturned, but no change was made and Tarkowski played on, completing the 90 minutes.
Ultimately, Liverpool won the game 1-0, but it could have been a different story had they been up against 10 men for the majority of the match.
And that should have been the case, according to PGMOL, who have admitted that the wrong decision was made and that Tarkowski should have been sent packing.
The 32-year-old had initially played the ball, clearing it up field but following through on the World Cup winner, with it suggested that the challenge met the threshold for serious foul play.
Paul Tierney was the official on VAR, appearing to rule that the decision was not a clear and obvious error, meaning the on-field call stood.
Shortly after full-time at Anfield, Tarkowski could be seen deep in conversation with Mac Allister, where it seemed he was apologising for his actions, something that was received well by Mac Allister who was seen smiling.
It look as if the conversation – which saw the pair embrace – ended when the Liverpool star said: ‘It’s OK’, before they walked off in separate directions.
The challenge had generated outrage at the time, with Jamie Carragher incandescent in the Sky Sports studio, before he expressed his shock that the referee hadn’t sent off Tarkowski.
‘In terms of refereeing, Barratt is in a brilliant position, he has to see that,’ he fumed. ‘It’s a shocking tackle, we know it should be a red card. For Tierney not to give it on VAR is shocking.’
Former Everton forward Duncan Ferguson agreed with Carragher that Tarkowski should have been sent off.
Ferguson said: ‘There’s no argument, straight red. He knows what he’s doing. He’s come right through him, that could have been a leg breaker. Maybe the referee… it’s his first derby, he should have taken it to the monitor.’
Gary Neville expressed a similar belief about Tarkowski’s challenge on commentary.
‘That’s a potential leg breaker,’ Neville had exclaimed. ‘I think he’s very lucky there Tarkowski. There will be those that will say it’s a natural follow through.
‘Trust me as a defender you do not need to follow through like that and with such force and it’s high. Very lucky.’
More to follow.
