Ryan Gravenberch red card agreement as Liverpool get unanimous verdict

Ryan Gravenberch was sent off at 0-0, with Liverpool going on to concede three times afterwards as Manchester City stormed to victory on Sunday after the incident

Liverpool have been told by numerous pundits that Ryan Gravenberch should not have been sent off during Sunday's 3-0 Premier League loss to Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday. The Reds gave a good account of themselves for the best part of an hour, despite being plagued by injuries and having to shuffle their starting XI.

As a result of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike being absent, Lewis Koumas was tasked with leading the line for Andoni Iraola's men. Meanwhile, injuries to the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo limited Liverpool's attacking threat in and around the box.

However, having held the visitors to a deadlock for 62 minutes, the game was flipped on its head when Gravenberch was shown an early exit as a result of a second yellow card. The Dutchman was already forced to tread lightly when he picked up a soft yellow for seemingly stepping on Elliot Anderson's foot as his midfield counterpart went to ground.

The second yellow, however, was far more cynical and deserving - Gravenberch bringing down Jeremy Doku on the counter, having been beaten for pace by the Belgian winger. As a result, Liverpool were forced to do battle against Enzo Maresca's men with a numerical disadvantage for the best part of 30 minutes, with the game quickly getting away from them.

Erling Haaland opened the scoring just three minutes after Gravenberch's ejection, before Doku doubled City's lead shortly after with a stunning curling strike. Rayan Cherki then made it 3-0 with around 10 minutes left to play to seal a famous win.

However, a number of pundits have since agreed that Gravenberch was a little unfortunate to be sent for an early shower, considering the harsh nature of his initial caution. Speaking on Sky Sports, Tim Sherwood explained: "I don't think that tackle should be a yellow card.

"It is an attempt to win the ball. He pulls out of any kind of challenge. It is not a yellow card. You want your team to be aggressive and on the front foot."

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On the second yellow, however, Sherwood was more respectful of Chris Kavanagh's decision. He added: "He is so quick and toes it away. It is a genuine attempt to play the ball but he puts himself on offer having already been on a yellow."

Dermot Gallagher, meanwhile, said: "It is really harsh [first yellow card]. I think the problem for Chris, in his view, I think he thinks that he clips his knee.

"He doesn't if you look again. He thinks he has clipped his knee, so he thinks it's a high boot and a yellow card. He catches the top of his boot. He is very unlucky."

Jay Bothroyd, also speaking on referee watch, added: "It is soft [first yellow]. That shouldn't even be a question of a yellow card, it is not for me. It ends up spoiling the game. The second yellow, I think it is [a booking]. He could've been on the pitch still.

"In that situation, we are talking about Doku. He is rapid and electric. Gravenberch thinks he can get there and then he can't. It is a promising attack. That is why he has been given the yellow. In isolation, I don't know if it's a yellow challenge but because it was a promising opportunity to break, that is why it has been given."

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