Thomas Frank provides an honest appraisal of Wataru Endo not getting sent off for Liverpool against Brentford

Brentford boss Thomas Frank was visibly annoyed when Liverpool ace Wataru Endo failed to receive his marching orders following a strong tackle on Christian Norgaard at Anfield on Sunday night.

The Japanese international was slightly late with his tackle and caught his Brentford counterpart on the leg. While there was no malice intended, we have seen players get sent off for similar tackles in the Premier League this season.

It was thus a heart-in-the-mouth moment for the Reds fans as VAR took a long hard look at the incident. Thankfully for Anfield, the officials did not find probable cause to give Endo his marching orders, keeping the game at 11 players apiece. Given that he was on the wrong end of the decision, one can understand Thomas Frank’s displeasure.

Speaking to the press after the game (h/t Metro), Frank gave a clear and concise description of his feelings on the incident. The Beeds’ boss admitted that while the tackle might not have been classified as a sending-off back in the day, the goalposts have since shifted.

“I think that back in the day it’s probably not a red card. But in these days with the VAR and the slow mo, I think it’s a clear red.”

With VAR now slowing down every incident, probable cause can be found as the referees see fit. With such an approach, it is natural that any tackle in slow motion would appear far more dangerous than it was intended to be. This is the case with Endo as well as the Japanese star’s foot did in fact, catch Norgaard’s leg.

One can argue that the Reds have had players sent off for smaller incidents this season. Endo’s tackle, however, was not intended to injure and was at best a 50-50 between two players. While we do admit being surprised at the referee not blowing for a foul, it was far from an offence worthy of a sending-off.

Frank further added that Norgaard sprouting blood after Endo’s studs caught him could have swung the decision in the visitors’ favour. Thankfully, it was not to be as Liverpool went on to secure all three points on the night.

“When you have that still footage, plus the force, he’s going over the ball, plus the pictures of clear studs on Nørgaard’s leg with blood and everything, then it’s a red card.”

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At the time of the incident, the scoreline was just 1-0 in Liverpool’s favour. Had we gone down to 10 men, it might have given Brentford a second wind in their effort to salvage something from the match. Thankfully, we did not let the incident impact us and went on to score twice more to move to second spot in the Premier League standings.

While we understand Frank’s annoyance, far too many incidents have gone against us this season. Endo’s tackle while hard was not as dangerous as it was made out to be and was just two players going for a 50-50 ball. In the end, we would like to believe that justice prevailed.