Anthony Taylor took PITY on Manchester United – Liverpool believe referee Anthony Taylor took pity on Manchester United when he officiated their 5-0 win over the Red Devils on Sunday.
A source close to Jurgen Klopp told the Athletic that the Liverpool manager was left feeling frustrated after the game as he thought at least five of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men could have been sent off.
He felt that Fred deserved a red card for a head-high challenge on Naby Keita just moments before he was stretched off the pitch following a bad tackle from Paul Pogba.
Liverpool believe that referee Anthony Taylor (above) took pity on Manchester United; Paul Pogba was initially shown a yellow card for his challenge on Naby Keita in the 60th minute.
The source close to Klopp told the Athletic: ‘There could have been five red cards for United in total.’
The source went on to speak about Fred’s challenge on Keita, saying: ‘(Antoine) Griezmann got a red card for doing the same thing on Bobby (Firmino) in the previous game. Where’s the consistency?’
Jurgen Klopp believes several players could have been sent off for challenges on Keita
Taylor was advised to consult the pitch-side monitor to watch Pogba’s challenge over again
Following that he made the decision to send the French midfielder off with a red card
Taylor, who was born and raised in Manchester, was selected to take charge of the Premier League fixture at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool were not pleased with Taylor’s appointment as they felt that the self-proclaimed Altrincham fan always favours the Red Devils.
However, Liverpool did beat Manchester United 4-2 away at Old Trafford last season while under the watchful eye of Taylor.
Nevertheless, Liverpool headed into the game worried about how Taylor’s decision-making could impact the result of the game.
Despite their concerns, Liverpool were able to fire five goals past Manchester United to emerge victorious at the Theatre of Dreams.
The goals came from Keita, Diogo Jota and Mohammed Salah. However, there was still plenty of room for criticism over Taylor’s performance.
Liverpool felt like Manchester United should have received more red cards than just Pogba’s.
The Frenchman was sent off in the 60th minute of the game after he lunged into a two-footed tackle on the Reds midfielder with his side 5-0 down at Old Trafford.
Pogba was initially booked but, after a VAR check, Taylor sent him off on the hour mark.
Klopp believes Fred should have been sent off for his head-high challenge on Keita earlier
They also fumed about Taylor’s decision regarding Cristiano Ronaldo after he got off lightly
That incident involved Ronaldo repeatedly kicking the ball into Curtis Jones’s body
Many believe Taylor would have refrained from sending Pogba off if it wasn’t for Stuart Attwell – who has been on VAR for the last four Liverpool games.
Others also fumed about Taylor’s decision regarding Cristiano Ronaldo – claiming he got off lightly for an incident involving Curtis Jones.
Ronaldo fouled Jones, with the Liverpool-man falling to the ground. Ronaldo then proceeded to kick the ball into his opponent.
Ronaldo was shown a yellow card for the incident but many felt that he should have been punished more severely.
Bruno Fernandes also committed a reckless foul on Jones out of frustration. Again, he was shown a yellow card rather than a red.
Nevertheless, Liverpool will be delighted with not only their result against United but their team performance.
Bruno Fernandes also committed a reckless foul on Jones out of frustration. Again, he was shown a yellow card rather than a red for the tackle (above)
Harry Maguire was perhaps lucky to escape without a red card for a challenge on Diogo Jota
