David Coote handled Liverpool controversy brilliantly – Ex-PGMOL chief
Keith Hackett believes Darwin Nunez scoring against Aston Villa saved Leon Bailey from being sent off for his foul on Mohamed Salah.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-PGMOL chief and former FIFA and Premier League official praised the referee David Coote for doing “really well” allowing play to continue in this instance.
Coote, who has been suspended by the PGMOL for a video showing him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp, was the referee for Liverpool’s win over Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday night.
Bailey had fouled Salah after he had sprung through the Villa defence and was heading for a one-on-one goalscoring opportunity.
The foul would have been seen as denying a goalscoring opportunity, which is punishable by a red card.
However, the ball ended up falling to Nunez who found the back of the net, and that ended up keeping Bailey on the pitch.
Villa were ultimately defeated by Arne Slot’s side 2-0, but they weren’t dealt a further blow in the form of Bailey being suspended for future games.
Keith Haskett believes Aston Villa were saved going down to 10 men by Darwin Nunez
Hackett told Football Insider, “First of all, the referee does really well.
“It’s very easy when two players come together to award the free-kick, and [Bailey] would then have faced a red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
“But the referee didn’t pull up, he had good vision and allowed play to go on.
“For me, the very nature of the goal being resulted, [is why] he doesn’t come back and dismiss the player for the foul on Salah.”
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