Stephen Warnock has criticised Liverpool’s Sadio Mane for his conduct during a heated incident in yesterday’s Merseyside Derby.
Warnock was appearing on Ref Watch for Sky Sports. Mane’s apparent hand to the face of first Allan and then Mason Holgate was flagged by former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher as being possibly worthy of a red card.
Although he thought it may have been harsh to send Mane off, Warnock wasn’t sure the player’s behaviour gave the right message to kids watching at home.
“Don’t give the opportunity to the referee to make that decision, because it can go against you,” said the former Liverpool man.
“We don’t agree that that’s something you should be sent off for, because these are things that happen in a game, emotions are high and things like that. But you also get the other side of it where they are role models to kids and you don’t want that happening in children’s football.
“This is a Merseyside Derby, there’s so much riding on the game. But do not give the referee the opportunity to make that decision.”
Warnock has some authority having played in three Merseyside Derby’s himself. Things boiled over in a way that only derby’s can on Sunday.
Mane can count himself fortunate that his moment of hot-headedness wasn’t punished beyond a yellow card.
Reds keep their heads
Liverpool generally tend to do well in keeping their cool in the face of aggression from opponents.
Safe in the knowledge that their footballing ability will see them through nine times out of ten, it’s often the best option to rise above it.
This is showcased in Liverpool’s impeccably good record with dismissals. The Reds have had just four sending’s-off since the beginning of the 2018/19 season.
Even then, one of those came from an Alisson handball outside of the area rather than anything more sinister.
Their only dismissal this season was for Andy Robertson in the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in December.
Some supporters will no doubt point to some imaginary refereeing bias for this to be the case. Regardless of any conspiracy theories though, Liverpool are a remarkably well-tempered team.
They are not immune to the occasional lapse though, as Sunday’s game showed. Liverpool allowed themselves to be drawn into Everton’s game-plan all too often in the first-half.
Thankfully, Jurgen Klopp’s changes brought the desired effect. Once again, Liverpool’s quality shone through and Everton’s gamesmanship was all for nothing.
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