Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
‘He knows’: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink slams Sadio Mane for ‘reckless’ elbow as Liverpool draw at Chelsea
Liverpool drew 2-2 with Chelsea this afternoon but according to Sky Sports’ Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Sadio Mane should have been given a red card before the game even got going properly.
A frantic and exciting day at The Bridge followed on from Mane appearing to elbow Cesar Azpilicueta in the opening ten seconds of the game. Mane was given a yellow card, with Anthony Taylor adjudging the challenge to not be worth of any more punishment.
Mane rubbed salt into the wound of Chelsea by scoring the opening goal. And according to Hasselbaink, who was in the studio with today, the Senegal star should have seen red.
“I think it’s reckless, I think it’s a red card. He knows exactly what he’s doing. It’s an elbow and if you give a yellow card it should be a red card,” Hasselbaink said
Kai Havertz also got away with a similar – albeit less aggressive – incident in the second 45. However, it was the elbow from Mane which was the eye catching moment in terms of refereeing calls.
In fairness, Chelsea also got away with another one too. Mason Mount had a small kick out at Kostas Tsimikas but got away with it after a VAR check.
TBR’s View: Mane Should Have Seen Red For Elbow
The more you watch it back, the more you have to say Sadio Mane should have been given a red card for the tackle.
It looked a bit out of control, and it was a blatant hit to the Chelsea man. Yes, as Gary Neville said on comms, there didn’t seem too much intent. But there was enough, and Mane definitely knew Azpilicueta was there.
It’s been a weekend of contentious refereeing calls in fairness. And this one will be another talking point in what was an otherwise enthralling game.