Was Gravenberch’s red card in the Liverpool – Manchester City derby a refereeing mistake?

The derby can clearly be split into two parts, with Gravenberch’s sending-off as the turning point. The Dutchman, one of Liverpool’s best players on the day, received two yellow cards early in the second half, first for a foul on Elliot Anderson and then for one on Jérémy Doku. Both incidents sparked debate, and most analysts sided with Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola in criticising the decision.

“The referee’s decision is extremely poor. What annoys me is that he initially had no intention of showing a yellow card. He only gave it when he decided Anderson was in pain,” said Jamie Carragher, calling both bookings far too hasty.

Gary Neville agreed the second foul was very soft, but questioned why Gravenberch, already on a yellow, went into the challenge at all. “He put the referee in a dilemma,” Neville said.

Roy Keane also failed to see how the first incident warranted a card, noting that the game had been even for the first hour before Liverpool struggled physically. Daniel Sturridge described the first yellow as “a joke”, while admitting the second could be argued as a tactical foul on a counter-attack. Micah Richards was equally baffled by how such a light challenge earned a booking.

Wayne Rooney felt the first card was harsh, but believed the second was fully deserved. “When you’re already on a yellow, you put yourself at risk of a second one and being sent off. So the action that led to the second yellow was a bit naive and silly,” he said.