Former Premier League referee, Howard Webb, has said that Manchester United’s equalizer against Liverpool during their 1-1 draw on Sunday, should not have stood.
Zlatan Ibrahmovic headed home in the 84th minute to cancel out James Milner’s penalty, but Webb says Antonio Valencia was offside in the build-up to the goal.
Webb also feels referee Michael Oliver, should have punished Wayne Rooney for a foul on Milner in the second half.
“I think Wayne Rooney’s tackle on James Milner, for which Michael Oliver gave a foul and no more, is one of those that is somewhere between a red and a yellow card,” he said in The Times.
“Looking at the video, which Oliver did not have the chance to do, I would ultimately say it is a yellow card. Rooney’s tackling technique is poor, and he is reckless, but he puts his foot in the direction of the ball and does so with less than the excessive force that would make it a sending-off offence.
He feels assistant referee Mick McDonough should have raised his flag before the home side’s equalizer, saying: “Because he is too far down the touchline, he cannot judge whether Antonio Valencia is just offside before he receives the ball, which he is. In those circumstances, he gives the benefit of the doubt to the attacker. He will have known he lost his position at a crucial time.”
Comments