Michail Antonio believes that Diogo Jota was lucky not to see red in Liverpool’s 4-3 win against Tottenham, with the Portuguese attacker catching Oliver Skipp with a high boot.
Speaking on the Footballer’s Football Podcast, the West Ham striker shared his opinion on the Liverpool attacker’s controversial incident against Skipp, with Jota escaping a red card and going on to score a last-gasp winner against Tottenham.
Whilst Skipp himself also avoided a sending-off for a dangerous tackle on Luis Diaz, many agree that Jota should have also been given his marching orders for his high foot on the Tottenham youngster, which resulted in the midfielder getting stitches.
Debates since Liverpool’s win against Tottenham have been loud and wide-ranging, with Jota’s tackle on Skipp one of the two main talking points alongside the latest chapter in Jurgen Klopp’s feud with referee Paul Tierney. And for Antonio, the former Wolves man should not have been on the pitch.
The West Ham striker said when asked if Jota should have been sent off: “100 million per cent. There’s nothing more dangerous than that mate! Man’s whole face got the boot. It’s ridiculous. There’s no way he should be on the field and scoring that last-minute winner.”
Jota lucky to not see red after horror challenge against Tottenham
It goes without saying that high challenges in football should be a guaranteed red card no matter how innocent the player might be in the incident, and the same logic should have applied for Jota, with the Liverpool man escaping a sending off yet another episode in the inconsistencies shown by Premier League referees.
We all know Jota was lucky to see red for his tackle on Skipp, and with Tottenham manager Ryan Mason rightly furious at full-time, the incident should be an indicator to referees and VAR officials that these sort of moments can’t be tolerated in football.
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