Liverpool told why Marc Guehi wasn't sent off as Mohamed Salah role questioned

The defender tugged Salah's shirt midway though the second half of Liverpool's defeat against Manchester City, and despite Arne Slot's protestations, only a yellow card was given

Dermot Gallagher feels Marc Guehi should not have been sent off for his foul on Mohamed Salah(Image: Getty)

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has explained why Craig Pawson’s decision not to send off Marc Guehi against Liverpool was correct.

The Manchester City defender tugged Mohamed Salah’s shirt a few yards outside the box, causing the Egyptian to drop to the turf and preventing him from fastening onto Dominik Szoboszlai’s through ball, and potentially manufacturing a shot on goal.

Pawson handed Guehi a yellow following the incident, which was checked and cleared by VAR. Ruben Dias’ positioning and movement towards the ball was certianly a factor in that decision, with the officials determining that Guehi had not denied Salah a clear goalscoring opportunity.

But Arne Slot, speaking after the game, felt the former Crystal Palace captain should have been dismissed.

“If you follow the rulebook, and you have a clear shirt pull by Guehi on Mo Salah, who for eight years has been scoring that ball 100 times out of 100 – a bit of an exaggeration – and it is not a red card, then there is more of my frustration,” claimed the Dutchman.

However, Gallagher does not share that opinion. “I think it’s a possible [denying of a goalscoring opportunity], not obvious. That’s why it goes from a red to a yellow,” he said on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch.

Guehi could have been sent off for his foul on Salah(Image: Getty Images)

“It’s a foul. It’s also outside the penalty area. I actually think Mo Salah is quite happy to receive the foul; he goes down.

“Dias is coming across. He’s very fast and you can see he’s arcing his run. So I think it goes from obvious to possible and that’s why a yellow card is produced, not a red.”

Gallagher also gave his verdict on the Dominik Szoboszlai incident, when the Hungarian was sent off for a foul on Erling Haaland, rather than allowing Rayan Cherki’s injury-time goal to stand.

The former referee claimed that as Szoboszlai fouled Haaland, and the City striker responded with a foul of his own, the goal could not be permitted.

Szoboszlai was shown red in the final stages of the defeat to City(Image: AFP or licensors)

“The referee sees the foul and lets play go on because he thinks there will be a goal,” he explained.

“Szoboszlai certainly gets fouled and because of that. He sees the first one but doesn't see the second one because [Nico] O'Reilly blocks his path.

“Without doubt, Szoboszlai will argue like mad that he's fouled. He'll want a free kick and that's why it is.

“VAR points out to the referee 'well you can't give a goal because Szoboszlai's fouled'. You can go back to the original foul, where Haaland it denied a goalscoring opportunity so it's a red card.”