Micah Richards, Daniel Sturridge and Roy Keane were quick to offer their thoughts on Ryan Gravenberch’s controversial red card during Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City as the trio provided their insight from the Sky Sports studio following the disappointing result.
Having been found guilty on 114 of 115 charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations, Manchester City faced an away trip to Anfield in what was their first game since the guilty verdict.
Given that Liverpool finished second to Man City in three of the seasons in which the charges relate to, the Blues were unlikely to receive a warm welcome to Merseyside. Sure enough, Anfield filled with boos as the City players emerged onto the pitch for both their warm-up and ahead of kick-off.
And whilst it was clear that tensions were high in the first half, the first 45 passed without any real moments of concern for either team. But just two minutes into the second period, referee Chris Kavanagh brandished a particularly soft yellow card to Ryan Gravenberch, after the Dutchman grazed the top of Elliott Anderson’s boot in an attempt for the ball.
Just 15 minutes later, Gravenberch was again penalised, this time for a lunge on Jérémy Doku, and received his marching orders, leaving his side to fend off City’s attacks for the last half hour with just ten players.
Speaking in the Sky Sports studio inside Anfield after the final whistle, former Manchester City full-back, Micah Richards, voiced his confusion over Gravenberch’s first caution, claiming that he didn’t understand the booking, asking “how is that a yellow card?”
Daniel Sturridge went one step further, claiming that the decision to card Gravenberch for the minimal contact with Anderson was a “joke.”
“It’s never been a yellow. This one [second yellow], you could argue, it’s a counter-attack, a professional foul. But the first one is literally a joke. That’s not a yellow card, it’s just not.”
Even Roy Keane, who picked up plenty of yellow cards throughout his career, thanks to his hard-tackling and no-nonsense style of play, was shocked by Gravenberch’s first yellow, stating: “I agree, I don’t think that’s a yellow card. I don’t see how he can get a yellow for that.”
It soon became apparent that Gravenberch’s dismissal would be the turning point of the game, as City looked to press the ten men of Liverpool and capitalise on their numerical advantage.
Just three minutes after the red card, Jérémy Doku saw his effort blocked by Alexis Mac Allister, before the ball fell to Erling Haaland, who smashed a finish past Allison to put City 1-0 up.
Minutes later, Doku shimmied past Víctor Muñoz and curled a stunning strike into the top-right corner, doubling his side’s lead. But it was Rayan Cherki who would net perhaps the most impressive goal of the day, leaving Anderson’s pass to continue through to Joško Gvardiol, who played a lovely backheel to Cherki, before the Frenchman left Jeremie Frimpong scrambling and rolled home City’s third in a move which saw every player in a blue shirt touch the ball during the buildup.
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