Dominik Szoboszlai is set to serve a suspension after being sent off late on in Liverpool’s chaotic defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
The Hungarian had earlier fired the Reds ahead with a brilliant free-kick, but found himself in trouble deep into stoppage time as Liverpool pushed for a dramatic equaliser — with Alisson Becker upfield in the process.
When Rayan Cherki’s long-range effort slowly crossed the line, Szoboszlai sprinted back in an attempt to stop the goal. In doing so, he tugged Erling Haaland’s shirt, with the City striker then pulling back in return, leaving the officials with a major decision.
After a VAR review at the pitchside monitor, referee Craig Pawson disallowed the goal and produced a red card for Szoboszlai, ruling that he had denied a clear goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO) by grabbing Haaland first before the contact was returned.
Gary Neville, on Sky Sports commentary, was furious with the VAR involvement, saying:
“Talk about a killjoy. They have just killed one of the great moments of the season.
It would make more sense to offset Szoboszlai’s and Haaland’s fouls and allow the goal to stand. Probably not in the laws, though, and common sense never prevails.”
There’s now an expectation that officials will defend the decision as correct “by the book,” but it did little to help either side at Anfield — and certainly not Liverpool.
With Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley already injured, Szoboszlai had been filling in as an emergency right-back. His dismissal now adds another blow to Arne Slot’s growing selection problems.
The only small relief for Liverpool is that, despite being a straight red, it was not for violent conduct — meaning Szoboszlai is likely to receive the standard one-match Premier League ban for DOGSO.
Still, that leaves Slot with another headache ahead of Wednesday night’s trip to Sunderland, where Szoboszlai will be unavailable. The most likely solution could see Curtis Jones drafted in at right-back at the Stadium of Light.
It’s yet another setback in a season full of them for Liverpool — and one they could have done without, especially with VAR once again playing a decisive role
