The reason why Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate wasn’t sent off during the Champions League clash with PSG has now been revealed.
On Wednesday evening, Liverpool traveled to the Parc de Princes for the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 match with Paris Saint-Germain.
Early in the match, Liverpool star Konate caused controversy after making a last-ditch challenge that many believe should have led to him being shown a red card.
But now, the real reason why the Frenchman stayed on the pitch has been revealed.
As Liverpool dealt with significant pressure from the hosts in the early stages of the match, a cross found PSG winger Bradley Barcola just outside the box in a very dangerous position.
Thankfully for the Reds, Konate appeared to make a last-ditch tackle with his shoulder at the edge of the box, a challenge that some believe should have led to him being dismissed.
However, after a two-minute VAR check, the match officials decided not to send the Frenchman off, with their reasoning being that they didn’t believe that it was a clear and obvious error.
VAR did view the incident as a bookable offence, but the video assistant referee cannot recommend a yellow card and it was not seen as severe enough to warrant a straight red card, meaning Konate was not cautioned for the tackle.
“That’s a foul,” claimed Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand while commenting on the match on TNT Sports.
“That’s in his back, that’s a foul. It’s a red card. If that’s not a red card, I’ll be amazed.
And it will be a shame if it does go down to 10 against 11 in that sense, because you want the best players playing it equally in the 90 minutes.”
Had Konate been shown a red card, or even a yellow card, in the match, then he would have been forced to sit on the sidelines for the second leg of the Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday.
Liverpool will head into the home leg of the match with a 1-0 advantage, after a stellar performance from goalkeeper Alisson Becker allowed the Reds to come away with a smash and grab result.
