Newcastle United had to settle for a share of the spoils following a thrilling 2-2 encounter with Liverpool at their home ground on Sunday, though some observers felt they should have been reduced to ten men during the contest.
Tim Sherwood suggested that Yoane Wissa ought to have received his marching orders during Newcastle’s opening Premier League fixture of the season against Liverpool on Sunday.
The Tyneside club looked destined for all three points before seeing their advantage disappear in the closing moments, as a 2-1 advantage turned into a 2-2 stalemate in the final sixty seconds when Dominik Szoboszlai tucked away a spot-kick after Victor Munoz had been felled by Lewis Hall in the dying stages.
Anthony Elanga handed the home side the lead inside the first five minutes, before Cody Gakpo restored parity after the interval with an effort from distance.
Wissa played a crucial role in Newcastle’s second strike shortly afterward, weaving past several Liverpool defenders before delivering to Joe Willock, who finished from close quarters.
Nevertheless, according to Sherwood, the Democratic Republic of Congo international should not have been on the pitch to contribute. Having already picked up a booking, Wissa brought down Ryan Gravenberch in the centre of the pitch as the first half approached its conclusion.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Sherwood considered a second caution was appropriate for the challenge. He stated the foul warranted a second yellow and a dismissal in his assessment.
However, Dermot Gallagher offered a different perspective, backing Stuart Attwell’s choice to refrain from issuing Wissa with another yellow for the unintentional trip.
He noted that a second caution carries greater significance and questioned whether anyone would want to be dismissed for such an incident, suggesting the punishment would be disproportionate as it was not a standard yellow card offence and therefore insufficient for dismissal.
Jay Bothroyd sided with Gallagher, suggesting the incident did not constitute a red card offence. He observed that Gravenberch adeptly changed direction as Wissa initially ran one way then another. He noted that at no stage did Wissa appear to deliberately clip the opponent’s heels, calling it accidental and expressing agreement with the referee’s call.