Ex-ref: Liverpool player fortunate to avoid red vs Arsenal

Ex-ref: Liverpool player fortunate to avoid red vs Arsenal Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett believes Liverpool’s Trey Nyoni could have been sent off against Arsenal, and he deserved a yellow card at a minimum. Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images Following Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Anfield at the weekend, Liverpool fans were up in arms over a couple of refereeing decisions, arguing that they should have had a penalty for a shirt pull on Alexander Isak , and that Noni Madueke should have seen red for butting heads with Alexis Mac Allister . But Arsenal have grievances of their own, including a bad foul from Liverpool’s Trey Nyoni in the very first minute of the game. Nyoni was lucky to escape the incident without a card, with former referee Keith Hackett arguing that it shouldn’t have mattered when the foul took place. Hackett believes Nyoni was lucky not to see red, and should at least have been booked. Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images “First of all, it doesn’t matter whether it’s the first or the 90th minute; the laws of the game apply,” Hackett said . “For me, if you like, the least amount of punishment on that is a yellow card. I think that challenge is reckless. “On another day… And because it is early, I think that’s why he’s fortunate not to get a red. He’s raked his studs down the Achilles of his opponent. “However you look at that, that has to receive a sanction. And so for me, I’ll give him slight benefit of the doubt, slight mistiming, whatever you want. “But he has to come out of that with a yellow card at the very minimum.” Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images Whilst a Liverpool penalty or an undeserved Madueke red card could certainly have made a difference to the game, it’s hard to argue that anything could have been more impactful than a first-minute red card for Nyoni. At the very least, the bare minimum of a yellow card would have hampered the midfielder’s game for the rest of his appearance. Instead, he was able to commit further risky fouls without any real consequence. Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images