The early stages of Liverpool v Fulham were full of incidents, with Andy Robertson involved at either end of a potential red card issue before being dismissed.
Andy Robertson was sent off for bringing down Harry Wilson 20 minutes into Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Fulham, with the former Red going through on goal.
We did a long VAR check to make sure this was the right decision. Because if Wilson had been offside, Robertson would have stayed on the pitch as he would no longer have been denied a clear scoring opportunity.
The red card means Robertson will serve a one-match ban against Southampton in Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-final.
But this offside risk should have made no difference when Issa Diop challenged Robertson earlier.
#LIVFUL – 16′
The referee issued a red card to Robertson for a foul on Wilson, who denied him a goal-scoring opportunity. VAR confirmed the red card and confirmed that Wilson was in an onside position. pic.twitter.com/gfeZ7eT2DL
— Premier League Match Center (@PLMatchCentre) December 14, 2024
With less than two minutes left on the clock, Diop caught Robertson open at the studs to his knees.
When the offside flag went up, the referee gave Diop a yellow card. However, given the reckless and dangerous nature of the tackle, this arguably should have been a red.
The Premier League Match Center said, “The referee gave Diop a yellow card for a foul on Robertson.
“We checked through VAR to see if there was a possibility of a red card, and confirmed the referee’s reckless challenge and yellow card declaration.”
#LIVFUL – 1′
The referee awarded Diop a yellow card for a foul on Robertson. After confirming the possibility of a red card, VAR confirmed the referee’s reckless challenge and declaration of a yellow card.
— Premier League Match Center (@PLMatchCentre) December 14, 2024
Given the nature of the tackle and the potential harm to Robertson, this was not a satisfactory explanation. Robertson continued after several minutes on the floor.
