Beth Lindop
Multiple Authors
Arne Slot has said Marc Guéhi should have been shown a red card for his challenge on Mohamed Salah in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.
Erling Haaland scored the winner for the visitors in stoppage time at Anfield before Rayan Cherki saw his effort disallowed following a red card offence from Dominik Szoboszlai in the build-up.
However, Slot believes Guéhi should have been dismissed earlier in the second half after pulling Salah back on the edge of the area.
“When you ask me about what decision, I thought what do you mean, the disallowed goal at City, the penalty they got in the away game against us, the clear red card on Mo Salah in the second half here, or the penalty they got in the second half, or do you mean this [Szoboszlai red card] decision?” Slot said.
“That’s only over two games, and the ones that follow Liverpool know how many decisions I can come up with in all the other games as well, all the big decisions that could have gone in some situation to a 50-50.
“I can live with the fact, although I don’t like it, that the referee follows the rulebook and Dominik makes a foul on Haaland in that situation which is a clear shirt-pull and he was through on goal so he would have scored. That’s a red card.
“I think the Sunderland manager is really happy he gives a red card.
“If you follow the rulebook, and you have a clear shirt-pull by Guéhi on Mo Salah, who for eight years has been scoring that ball 100 times out of 100 — a bit of an exaggeration — and it is not a red card, then there is more of my frustration.
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“I can live with the red card for Dom. If you like football you say ‘ah, leave it as a goal, it’s good them and good for everyone’ but as the Sunderland manager you prefer to see it as a red card.
“That’s the rule and following the rules is all I ask…My main frustration is in the shirt-pull on Mo Salah at 0-0,clear and open, one vs one on the goalkeeper.”
Liverpool’s latest defeat means they stay sixth in the Premier League table, five points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
“I am feeling anger and disappointment,” Slot said.
“First half, City were the better team on the pitch without creating that many big chances except the one from Haaland in the first minutes.
“They played better with the ball, but the improvement we have made since three or four months ago was visible for everyone.
“Second half, our standards went up, in terms of intensity, we were pressing them all over the place and that is the biggest improvement we have made in the last two or three months.
“That the whole [team] is capable against one [of] the teams that is probably best, maybe the best team in England in ball possession, to do so well off the ball is a big improvement.
“A fantastic second half. I was expecting more than being one goal up and then two goals conceded.”
