The Professional Game Match Officials Board has issued an official response to the contentious tackle that James Tarkowski made during Liverpool’s 1-0 victory in the Merseyside derby that took place at Anfield.
The victory over Everton, Liverpool’s local rivals, at Anfield on Wednesday night was another step that Liverpool made towards achieving their goal of capturing the Premier League title in 2024/25.
A goal scored by Diogo Jota was the decisive factor in the close-fought battle between the two bitter rivals. However, the most contentious moment of the game occurred much earlier in the game when Everton defender Tarkowski made a terrible challenge on Alexis Mac Allister.
Despite the fact that the Englishman was issued a yellow card, many people think that he was fortunate not to be sent off, and the official reaction from the PGMOL appears to concur with this point of view.
A shot that was stopped by Jota in the eleventh minute of what was already a tense encounter placed the ball at the feet of Mac Allister at the outside of the box. However, a vicious and late challenge from Tarkowski caused the Argentine to fall in pain.
Despite the fact that the Everton star clearly followed through on Mac Allister after clearing the ball, referee Sam Barrott and VAR official Paul Tierney chose to only award a yellow card, much to the dismay of the supporters. A yellow card was issued.
And now, the PGMOL has stepped out to react to the contentious moment, admitting that Tarkowski was fortunate to remain on the pitch during the tackle and that he should have been issued a red card for the incident.
“PGMOL acknowledge that Everton defender James Tarkowski should have been issued with a red card in their match against Liverpool,” stated Sky Sports head correspondent Kaveh Solhekol in a post that was published on X.
In the beginning of the challenge, it was obvious that Tarkowski was playing the ball; nonetheless, the manner in which he attempted to follow through met the criteria for significant foul play.
“The referee deemed the challenge to be reckless in real time, and the video assistant referee (VAR) subsequently verified that on-field judgement of a yellow card, and it was determined that the referee’s ruling was not a clear and apparent error.
“However, the view of PGMOL is that a review should have been recommended and ultimately the original decision overturned.”
Journalists Henry Winter, Paul Joyce, and Lewis Steele all concurred with this remark, so establishing that the governing board is of the opinion that Tarkowski ought to have been shown the red card for significant intentional misconduct.
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