Andoni Iraola has hit out at the red card shown to Ryan Gravenberch during Liverpool’s loss to Manchester City.
Gravenberch was given his marching orders for two yellow cards, the first coming early in the second half after being adjudged to have fouled Elliot Anderson.
While the Dutchman could, perhaps, have no complaints for the second yellow for catching Doku late, Iraola believes the first yellow card left his side in “trouble”.
"I think the first foul of Ryan is never a yellow card, never,” Iraola told reporters. “These kinds of games, just a stomp on the big toe, or something minor.
“He doesn't even call the foul straight away. He leaves it go, I think Elliot Anderson does a couple of steps. He decides to go down.
“I don't know why after he shows the yellow card, because it's not a situation where it leaves advantage. We had nine players behind the ball, it was in the middle of the pitch, no danger there.
“And then you put, as a referee, yourself in trouble, and also you put us in trouble.”
Dismissed: Ryan Gravenberch
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Daniel Sturridge, formerly of Liverpool and Man City, labelled Gravenberch’s first yellow card as a “joke’ with his fellow Sky Sports pundits Micah Richards and Roy Keane in agreement.
"It’s never been a yellow,” said Sturridge. “The first one is a joke."
Micah Richards added: “That is soft. How is that a yellow card? I don’t understand."
Roy Keane agreed: "There’s question marks over the yellow cards. Man City have been the under cosh recently and sometimes a team needs a break and they took advantage of it.
"I don’t see how he can get a yellow card for that.
"The whole game then changes. Liverpool struggled with the physicality there was spaces everywhere. Liverpool looked like they had four men sent off. City were controlling it. For the first hour it was a tight game."