Gary Neville was appalled by one thing he witnessed in the most recent round of Premier League games, describing it as ‘worse’ than an incident in a match involving Liverpool earlier in the season.
At the end of September, Curtis Jones was the first of two Reds players to be sent off in the 2-1 defeat at Tottenham, when the 22-year-old was given his marching orders for a foul on Yves Bissouma.
At the same venue last night, another red card which was upgraded from yellow following a VAR review saw Cristian Romero dismissed for an over-the-top lunge on compatriot Enzo Fernandez as Spurs became the last top-flight team to taste defeat this term, going down 1-4 at home to Chelsea.
Neville was on co-commentary for Sky Sports for the all-London clash on Monday and he was horrified by the Argentine’s foul on his international teammate, comparing it unfavourably to the Liverpool midfielder’s dismissal a few weeks ago.
The 48-year-old said of Romero’s tackle (via Liverpool World): “If you go back to Curtis Jones’ challenge a few weeks ago that I thought was harsh, this one was worse.”
There are definitely some similarities between the two incidents – both were initial yellow card fouls which were changed to red after VAR intervention deemed them to be dangerous lunges, and both took place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, when looking at the two tackles in isolation, Neville is right in saying that Romero’s was worse than the one for which Jones was sent off.
The Liverpool midfielder did catch Bissouma high, but he was making a genuine attempt to get the ball and his foot slipped, whereas last night Spurs’ Argentine defender completely missed the ball and caught Fernandez square on the shin.
It would’ve been baffling had the 25-year-old got away with a yellow card when the Reds ace was dismissed for what he did a few weeks ago, but VAR John Brooks correctly intervened and advised Michael Oliver to upgrade the Tottenham man’s indiscretion to red.
Plenty of refereeing decisions are subjective and open to interpretation, but in the search for greater consistency (or even just some consistency when it comes to the Premier League), some calls appear blatantly obvious.
Romero’s sending off against Chelsea falls into that category when weighed up against Jones’ at the same venue earlier in the season.
This is why Neville is a “pundit” and not a manager. He is a sphincter muscle of note. See his comments about the EPL and refs and the dangerous feelings of certain clubs. The man should pull up his pants and give his mouth a chance!