Rules analyst and former FIFA referee Christina Unkel has explained why the referee and VAR made an error in allowing Ibrahima Konate to remain on the pitch during Liverpool’s 1-0 smash-and-grab Champions League victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night. Despite facing 27 shots - 10 of them on target - the Reds managed to secure an astonishing win in the French capital with their first shot on target, courtesy of Harvey Elliott in the 87th minute.
Since the final whistle, there has been a lot of conversation over Arne Slot’s side’s extraordinary fortune, with many in the football world left in disbelief. A key moment came early in the match when Konate appeared to shove Bradley Barcola in the back as the PSG forward surged towards goal. The TNT commentary team immediately deemed it a red card offence, a sentiment widely echoed by fans online. See the incident below:
The defeat marked PSG’s first loss since November when they fell to Bayern Munich. But from the offset, they looked poised to dominate proceedings, and had Konate been sent off early, the outcome could have been very different before the two sides reconvene at Anfield for the second-leg next week.
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate Related
Why Ibrahima Konate Wasn’t Sent Off During Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool
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Rules Expert Casts Konate Red Card Verdict
Christina Unkel believes the defender should have been brandished a red card
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate
After the match, CBS Sports Rules Analyst Christina Unkel shared her thoughts on whether the refereeing in the match got the call right to not send Liverpool down to 10 men. “I’m actually going to disagree with the referee and VAR on this play,” Unkel said on the CBS Sports post-match show.
“I believe this should have been reviewed as a red card for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity."
She continues (see around 1:30 in the video below): “There are two questions being asked. First, is the contact enough? You have to consider whether it’s more of a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge or if the attacker is properly running into the play, cutting him off, and gaining a positional advantage.
"In this case, the defender goes through the attacker, which isn’t just a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge. It doesn’t take much to throw an attacker off balance in that situation. The second question people will ask is whether the attacker had the opportunity to control the ball.
"The answer here is yes. He’s a high-level professional footballer, and it meets all the necessary criteria. So, I would have liked to see this called as a penalty, with VAR stepping in if it wasn’t called on the field.”
Konate was one of four Liverpool players treading a disciplinary tightrope midweek, along with Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott, and Andrew Robertson. A yellow card for any of them would have ruled them out of the second leg, having reached the threshold for bookings earlier in the competition.
However, to the surprise of fans both in the stadium and watching from home, all four managed to steer clear of the referee’s book. As a result, Slot will have a full squad at his disposal when Liverpool host the Parisian giants at Anfield next Tuesday.