Mike Dean says James Tarkowski should have been sent off in Everton’s Merseyside derby with Liverpool on Wednesday night. The two rivals went head-to-head at Anfield, with the hosts looking to edge closer to the Premier League title.
And with tensions running high early on, Toffees captain Tarkowski went flying in on Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister with a reckless challenge in the 11th minute. The defender got the ball but caught his opponent with his follow through high on the Argentine’s left leg.
Mac Allister was left in agony on the pitch, with Tarkowski initially shown a yellow card for his challenge. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) looked at the incident, with Sky Sports commentator Gary Neville believing it was a red card.
He said: “It is a horrible tackle. He did not need to follow through like that.” But VAR stuck with referee Sam Barrott’s initial decision, and decided against overturning it.
PGMOL statement confirmed: “The referee’s call of yellow card for a reckless foul by Tarkowski was checked by the VAR, with contact on the follow through after Tarkowski had played the ball deemed to be reckless.”
But former Premier League referee Dean, who usually agrees with VAR decisions and is a loyal supporter of officials, was furious with the decision and couldn’t understand why Tarkowski wasn’t sent off.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “He should have gone to the screen and he should be off. It is a horrible challenge. It is a red card all day.”
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock echoed Dean’s thoughts, and slammed the challenge from Tarkowski. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “This challenge is nasty from James Tarkowski. He wins the ball, but follows-through on Alexis Mac Allister.
Tarkowski knows exactly what he’s doing in that situation. I think it is so dangerous. It is out of control from Tarkowski.” Warnock also pointed the finger at referee Barrott, who failed to give a foul on Liverpool star Luis Diaz later in the first half.
He added: “He is finding this difficult, Sam Barrott. That is a foul on Luis Diaz Diaz shows the ball to Jake O’Brien and O’Brien takes him out.”
