Sky Sports pundits react as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne escape red cards vs Everton
Manchester City were not lucky to escape without a sending off in the draw with Everton, according to former referee Dermot Gallagher.
Erling Haaland was booked for a lunge on Vitalii Mykolenko, and escaped punishment for catching James Tarkowski in the face with a flailing arm, while City captain Kevin De Bruyne was booked for a high challenge on Amadou Onana during the 1-1 result at the Etihad on 31 December.
But Gallagher praised Andy Madley for allowing “a typical English football match” and was happy to back all three of the official’s decisions on those incidents, despite many fans feeling the opposite online.
Speaking on Sky Sports Ref Watch on Monday (2 January, 11.31am) host Rob Wotton said of the De Bruyne booking: “There was a lot of anguish and anger from the Everton fans because this picture here is the one that really got showed on social media and from that angle it looks bad.”
Gallagher responded: “This is why a still picture doesn’t always tell you the truth. You see that picture and think, ‘That’s a really, really bad tackle, leg-breaker, red card.'”
Wotton suggested it was actually a “great decision” because the Belgian didn’t catch his international teammate with his studs, and Gallagher agreed: “It was, because he actually catches him shin to shin.”
Haaland’s booking for a lunge on Mykolenko was backed as well by the ex-FIFA ref, saying: “I think this is a yellow card as well.
“If you watch he goes one-footed, he doesn’t through the air, with two feet, out of control… It’s a yellow card offence, it’s reckless, it’s not seriously endangering the safety of an opponent.”
And on the swinging arm he said: “He hasn’t thrown it with spite or malice. For me it’s a foul, there’s no doubt about it… but it’s not a yellow card, and certainly not a yellow card and sending off.”
Stephen Warnock was also “happy with it” and gave the Norwegian the benefit of the doubt for using his arms because he was off balance.
Got off lightly
The De Bruyne challenge was probably the right decision but Haaland has to consider himself very lucky to have stayed on the pitch.
Everton have been on the receiving end of various baffling decisions over the past year, and it seems that Gallagher is happy to back the officials more often than not.
The Haaland decisions may not have been the most glaring over that period, which tells the story of how hard it apparently is to get sent off when playing the Toffees, but the league’s top scorer has certainly been given a charitable assessment from both Madley and Gallagher.
Whenever Everton fans react to another borderline decision going in their opponents’ favour, or even one that appears to be far past borderline, they will be accused of being conspiracy theorists.
But few will be enjoying themselves in having to highlight it time and again, and would likely prefer a bit of consistency in the first place which sees the team held to the same standard as others.