Sadio Mane was fortunate to complete the 90 minutes for Liverpool against Newcastle without being sent off.
Jurgen Klopp took a risk as Liverpool headed to in-form Newcastle, having made five changes from the team which secured a 2-0 victory over Villarreal in the Champions League earlier in the week.
Mane, though, was included in the starting eleven. He’s the kind of player who can win a game for you singlehandedly and has proven it time and time again for Liverpool in recent seasons.
While he was unable to find the back of the net for Liverpool this afternoon, he could have had real influence in the contest, having been fortunate not to have been sent off in the second half.
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Mane tried to convert the loose ball in the Newcastle penalty area, which was gathered by Magpies goalkeeper Martin Dubravka. In the process, he planted his studs on his opponent’s leg.
Was Sadio Mané lucky not to be sent off for this? 🤔 #NEWLIV pic.twitter.com/CyubnKJNF9
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 30, 2022
Mike Dean on VAR did review the incident and decided that a yellow card was sufficient, but it doesn’t look good, does it? We’ve seen players sent off in instances of this nature in the past.
You wonder if the stakes were not so high for Liverpool, the referee or VAR official may have been brave enough to brandish the red card – because neither Mane or Jurgen Klopp could have any complaints.
