Jamie Carragher warned Liverpool’s Sadio Mane about his behaviour during the first half of Sunday’s Merseyside Derby at Anfield.
The lowdown
Tensions boiled over late in the first half after Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure fouled opposite number Fabinho.
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A ‘mini brawl’ ensued, in the words of one Sky Sports journalist, as players from both sides rushed to the scene.
Amidst the melee, Mane could be seen arguing with Allan and ‘pushing him in the face’.
Referee Stuart Atwell issued a yellow card to the Senegalese attacker, his seventh booking of the season in all competitions.
The latest
As he viewed the replay of the incident, Carragher slammed the forward.
“That’s just stupid from Mane,” the Sky Sports commentator said [17:17].
The verdict
You can understand why Carragher was frustrated with the £100,000-per-week man.
Indeed, he was arguably fortunate to avoid a red card following the incident, which would have made his team’s task far more difficult.
The laws of the game dictate that a player who deliberately strikes an opponent in the face with a hand or arm has committed violent conduct, unless the force is ‘negligible’.
That’s certainly up for debate, but you could argue that a player of Mane’s experience – this was his 258th Premier League match – shouldn’t be getting himself involved in such altercations, particularly when so much is at it stake for the title-chasing Reds.
In other news, this Liverpool superstar has been backed to sign a new deal.