Ex-refs chief: Dominik Szoboszlai and Patrick Dorgu deserved sanction after Liverpool vs Man United incident
Michael Oliver should have punished both Dominik Szoboszlai and Patrick Dorgu during Man United’s surprise win over Liverpool.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the referee decided against dishing out cards due to the gravitity of the game at Anfield.
Harry Maguire scored a dramatic winner on Sunday, 19 October, rising highest to head home after 84 minutes, with Bryan Mbeumo‘s early goal being ruled out by Cody Gakpo just six minutes earlier.
Mbeumo scored despite cries for play to be stopped due to Alexis Mac Allister going down with a head injury, but that was just one of multiple missed decisions by the officials.
Dominik Szoboszlai clashes with Patrick Dorgu at Anfield
During the final 10 minutes at Anfield, Szoboszlai was backed into a corner before being awarded a free-kick, and with Dorgu refusing to back away, he booted the ball into his opponent.
Man United fans already love Dorgu, and they loved him even more for this incident, which, according to Hackett, should have seen both cautioned by referee Oliver.
This is because, in a moment of frustration, the Liverpool star waved an imaginary yellow card towards the referee, which would normally land the respective player in hot water.
Kevin Schade was cautioned against Man City when asking for Ruben Dias to be booked, but because of the intensity of the game, the referee has not been blamed for allowing the situation to be swept under the rug.
Michael Oliver not blamed by Keith Hackett for missed cautions
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the situation, the former referee said: “The defending player hadn’t held, he wasn’t trying to delay the restart, so it’s a manufactured incident from the player taking the free-kick.
“He has gone to directly kick the ball against his opponent to get him a yellow card. Then, he waves an imaginary yellow card. I wasn’t one for ignoring this situation.
“What happened in this game, the referee had bigger things to worry about, so the bar is raised in terms of interference. I’m not criticising the referee here.
“However, let’s make it clear. The defending player failed to move back, which is an offence, and the player showing a visual yellow card is also an offence.
“The referee decided against this because it was the closing stages of a massive game, and therefore, he did nothing. Technically, in law, both players could and should have received a yellow card.”