Virgil van Dijk escapes red card for Richarlison elbow - and then brutally trolls opponent
Virgil van Dijk escapes red card for Richarlison elbow - and then brutally trolls opponent
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Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk escaped a red card against Tottenham despite appearing to elbow Richarlison during their thumping 4-0 Carabao Cup semi-final win at Anfield. The Red captain was involved in duel with the Brazilian where he caught him with a stray elbow, sending the forward to the ground. Richarlison clutched his face and cried out after the challenge, before getting to his feet to remonstrate with the Dutchman - who went on to score for the Reds as they ran riot against Ange Postecoglou's men.
Referee Craig Pawson opted not to take any action, with VAR also sticking with his on-field decision. Speaking on commentary duty, Ally McCoist admitted Van Dijk "got away with it", purely because he didn't make full contact with Richarlison's face. "I don’t think there’s any doubt about having a quick look at it. He brings his arm up to try and shrug him off,' McCoist said. "There is an elbow there, I will tell you right now. Maybe just below the chin but they will have a look at it.
"He might just get away with it because it’s below his chin. Richarlison feels hard done by, he uses his elbow. I’m not sure it makes any contact with the face and that’s what saves him.". Van Dijk later added insult to injury - quite literally - as he later floored Richarlison following another duel before offering his hand to help him up. As the ex-Everton man went to take his hand, the defender left him hanging and walked away.
Fans were divided on the incident, with some arguing there wasn't enough contact for a red card, but Spurs fans were left fuming that Van Dijk wasn't punished. One wrote on Twitter: "Unbelievable. Straight red if he moves his elbow to the player's face, which he did, but waved away by VAR. Joke." Another said: "Should be a red. He swung it out to fend Richarlison away. It's deliberate action.". Liverpool went on to enjoy a thumping win over Spurs, with goals from Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai before Van Dijk wrapped up a perfect night with a powerful header.
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