Credit: Sky Sports Premier League
Credit: Sky Sports Premier League

Roy Keane has Sky Sports studio in stiches as Man United vs Man City controversy debated

Harri Burton

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

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Roy Keane had his fellow presenters laughing out loud as the Sky Sports studio debated Diogo Dalot's challenge on Jeremy Doku at Old Trafford.

Dalot was lucky to stay on the pitch as Man United took on Man City on Saturday, 17 January, with plenty of contentious decisions being made between the bitter rivals.

With Craig Pawson on VAR, Anthony Taylor was the man in the middle, making all the on-pitch decisions, and it was widely believed that the Red Devils should have gone down to 10 men after 11 minutes.

That was the main talking point during the half-time break, as well as United's two disallowed goals for offside, but Keane found a way to see some humour amongst all the frustrations.

Roy Keane lands hilarious joke about Diogo Dalot red card

Speaking live on Sky Sports (17 January, 1:25pm), Keane said: "We always argue about what minute it is. Is it too early to score? A bad tackle like that... I've been down this road before, and I've given out some heavy tackles.

"I've been on the receiving end of a few as well. To me, I'm no expert on red cards, but I think it's a red card," causing Micah Richards, Daniel Sturridge, and David Jones to laugh aloud.

Of course, it was clearly a sarcastic comment from the Man United legend, having picked up seven straight reds for the Red Devils, plus another four double yellows.

It turned out to be a talking point right until the final whistle, with United picking up a 2-0 win, and that result would have been hugely unlikely had Dalot been given his marching orders.

What did Micah Richards say about the controversial incident?

Unsurprisingly, the panel of pundits were absolutely certain that a red card should have been shown,

Also speaking on Sky Sports, Richards said: "It was on top of his knee. It's the clearest red card you'll see. What more do you want? It's not a glancing blow. It's a red card."

The last red card to be given between these two sides dates all the way back to January 2020 in the EFL Cup, as Nemanja Matic received his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

This would have been the first sending-off in 17 meetings, and it feels that the referee bottled the decision due to the game being just 11 minutes in.

Supporters and pundits rarely like to see players sent off, with it often ruining the game for neutral viewers, but this was as obvious a red card as they come, but Taylor missed it completely.

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