Why Virgil van Dijk Wasn’t Sent Off For Richarlison Elbow.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk avoided punishment during the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham following an incident involving Brazilian striker Richarlison. The altercation, which took place within the first two minutes at Anfield, has sparked backlash from rival fans after the forward was left in a heap.
Video replays suggest that Richarlison may have been elbowed in the face by the Dutch defender, but no further action was taken. Instead, referee Craig Pawson allowed play to continue before eventually stopping to warn both players. Watch the incident below:
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Rival fans online were frustrated that no stricter action was taken, with many arguing that a red card could have been justified before the Reds easily swept their visitors aside to book themselves a place at Wembley Stadium for the final on March 16. However, an explanation for the decision not to send Van Dijk off has now emerged.
As reported by Football London, the incident was checked, and cleared, for violent conduct as the video assistant referee (VAR) deemed that there was no error on-field to overturn the decision. At the time of the incident, Ally McCoist, who was on commentary for ITV, said:
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about having a look at it. He definitely brings him arm up, in a bid to hold him off, shrug him off the challenge. Is it a bit aggressive? There’s an elbow there let me tell you that now, there’s an elbow in the chin.
“Here we see it, maybe just below the chin but they’ll certainly have a look at that. He might just get away with it because his below his chin Sam [Matterface].”
Another reasonable explanation is that the Reds’ captain was fully focused on the ball, while Richarlison definitely made a mountain out of a molehill. Nonetheless, nothing can be changed now, and Van Dijk stayed on the pitch to later score the fourth goal of the night to cement Liverpool’s place in the Carabao Cup final.
Under Arne Slot, the Reds will be looking to reclaim the League Cup after last year’s final saw “Klopp’s Kids” clinch a record-extending 10th crown in the competition. Their showdown against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United side will be played at the Home of Football on March 16 after Tottenham made a meal of clinging on to their 1-0 aggregate advantage, failing to register a single shot on target at Anfield.
