Liverpool defeated Newcastle 1-0 at St. James’ Park on Saturday morning which was a huge result for the Reds as they hunt down Manchester City for the Premier League title.
The only goal of the game came from Naby Keita, which was a lovely move and finish from the Liverpool midfielder. That goal was the highlight moment of the match, but there was also a tackle from Sadio Mane on Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka that had people talking.
The 30-year-old forward went for a loose ball in the box but the Newcastle keeper got there first, which then saw Mane’s studs make contact with the Slovakian’s knee.
Many on social media felt that the tackle could’ve been more than a yellow and that this was yet another let-off for Liverpool in a long string of possible red cards over the last few Premier League games the Reds have played.
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey spoke exclusively to Caughtoffside about the challenge and stated when asked if Mane’s foul could’ve been more than a yellow:
“I thought the same, not a clear and obvious error by Marriner, so subjective caution for a reckless challenge”, said the former official.
Therefore Mane’s tackle could’ve easily been a red card if referee Andre Marriner felt so, but as it wasn’t a clear and obvious error, VAR couldn’t get involved.
As Halsey said, it was a “subjective caution for a reckless challenge”.