Ex-Premier League Referee Says Gravenberch Red Card Against Man City Was Wrong

The fallout from Liverpool's 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City has taken a new turn, with former Premier League referee Keith Hackett insisting Ryan Gravenberch should never have been sent off at Anfield. Gravenberch was dismissed just after the hour mark on Sunday after collecting two yellow cards, the first for a challenge on City's Elliot Anderson. Liverpool had arguably been the better side until that point, but within minutes of going down to ten men Erling Haaland opened the scoring, and further goals from Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki sealed a famous win for Enzo Maresca's side in their first match since the club's guilty verdict. Hackett told Football Insider that Kavanagh got the first booking wrong, arguing the referee did not have the ideal viewing angle and that the City player was already off balance and going to ground. He added that in a high-profile game played in such a tense atmosphere, officials should raise the threshold for yellow cards to keep the count down. Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville agreed on Sky Sports that the decision was soft, with Carragher calling the first yellow "so harsh". Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola was equally blunt afterwards, saying the first foul "is never a yellow card, never". The defeat was Liverpool's first of the season, and the Reds are still waiting for a first home league win.