2 hours ago
44
Former Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton has issued an apology to Lyon fans after his red card led to his new side falling to a first defeat of the season.
Morton brought his long association with Liverpool to an end during the summer as he secured a $20 million transfer to France, having found his opportunities at Anfield severely limited.
Since making the move to Lyon, the 22-year-old has managed to carve out a regular spot in Paulo Fonseca’s side, having started all four of its Ligue 1 games so far, with the first three seeing Morton and his teammates make a perfect start without conceding a goal.
His fourth game ended in disaster though, with the England U21 international picking up a red card that sparked a spectacular collapse at Rennes.
Lyon had been leading 1-0 thanks to Corentin Tolisso’s first-half goal, but Morton’s sending-off would end up opening the floodgates. The midfielder cynically scythed down Mohamed Kader Meite as he tried to break clear down the left, with the Rennes players left furious with the challenge.
The referee showed no hesitation in brandishing a red card, much to Morton’s shock, and just four minutes later, Rennes equalized through Anthony Rouault.
Lyon looked as though it would hold onto a point, but Remy Descamps’ own goal three minutes into stoppage time put the hosts ahead, before Meite wrapped up their victory, leaving Morton and his teammates devastated.
Morton would go on to post an apology to the Lyon supporters on Instagram, writing: “Thank you all for the support last night, very frustrating and apologies to the travelling support! Love you all.”
The former Liverpool star though has been slammed in the French media for his moment of madness. MadeInFoot awarded Morton a 4/10 rating for his performance, branding his red card as “silly”.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Maxifoot and GetFrenchFootballNews also awarded Morton 4/10 ratings, and both laid the blame for Lyon’s defeat at his feet, with the former saying: “A great pick from the summer transfer window, the midfielder who arrived from Liverpool delivered a good performance until he was sent off for a foul on Meïté. He left his team at 1-0, and we know the rest…”
The latter added: “The Liverpool FC Academy product had an excellent game – another one – until the final 15 minutes, when he recklessly took out Kader Meïté with a useless tackle. Five minutes later, Rennes equalised, and they went on to win.”
Liverpool.com says: If you’ve seen the highlights from this game, you’ll know that Morton can’t have any complaints. His challenge was as cynical as they come as he went straight through the back of Meite. No doubt he will have to serve a suspension now, which will come as a big blow after impressing in his other games.
English (US) ·