Gary Neville: Linesman could face trouble for elbowing Robertson in Liverpool FC’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal
The supporters at Anfield sat treated to a fantastic game of football ending in Liverpool drawing 2-2 to Arsenal. The first half of the match was an absolute disaster from the Reds’ perspective, but the comeback was nothing short of extraordinary. However, something unwanted transpired during the game as the linesman, Constantine Hatzidakis appeared to elbow Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson in the face.
This happened at the halfway stage of the game as the players were walking back into the tunnel and an argument turned into a totally avoidable situation as the footage clearly caught the linesman poking his elbow into Robbo’s face. It is truly astonishing to see an official stoop down to such levels at the highest of stages as the Premier League.
An official statement from the PGMOL confirmed to The Athletic that the action will come under review and due action will take its own course. Robertson expressed immediate anger and seemed to allege that the linesman had elbowed him. The Liverpool team gathered around referee Paul Tierney to address the matter, before finally leaving for the tunnel.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville condemned the issue and here is what he said via The Athletic:
“I’ve never seen an official raise an elbow to a player,”
“I think he’ll be in a lot of trouble after this game ends.”
Changing times in football?
The officials will take their own time in deciphering the incident and taking action based on their interpretation of what happened. But having said that, it is totally unacceptable for a referee to resort to physical violence on the pitch, especially when the player in question is only talking, or in that case, maybe arguing with a few of his decisions, but that is football.
Speaking of the match though, this is certainly a late contender for the game of the season. Goals and tensions on either side with a sparkle of controversy towards the end made it an awesome spectacle. Obviously, the Gunners were leading at the halfway stage, but the Liverpool comeback deserved more than just a single point.
Speaking more of the match, if only Mohamed Salah converted his penalty, the Reds would have got their much-needed and much-deserved win. However, there is only so much we can do about it and the Reds should stand proud of how they turned up in the second half of the game.
It is extremely crucial for Liverpool to play the rest of the games in the season with the same intensity as the put on display in the second half against the Gunners. There are nine winnable games, and with the imminent return of Thiago and Luis Diaz, there is obviously no reason why we cannot get a win out of these games.
More Liverpool News:
- Liverpool have concrete interest in Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister
- PSG enter the race for Liverpool transfer target Jude Bellingham
- Liverpool star James Milner could leave Anfield next summer
The Reds travel to Leeds away next week, and would certainly hope to get maximum points from the fixture. Moreover, the result from the reverse fixture at Anfield could also be on their minds and that could act as fuel for the Reds to pull off a win against Javi Garcia’s side.
