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Liverpool’s summer recruit was harshly dismissed in the second half of Saturday afternoon’s match against Bournemouth.
Alexis Mac Allister has thanked his Liverpool team-mates and fans for their support in his first public message since being sent off yesterday against Bournemouth.
The Argentine had only two prior experiences of Anfield ahead of his £35m transfer this summer – two draws with Brighton the visiting side in the two previous Premier League campaigns.
He was handed his second league start by Jurgen Klopp and his first in a Liverpool shirt at their famous ground, only to see his afternoon ended prematurely when the red card was brandished in his direction.
A raised clash of boots on the edge of the Kop End’s penalty area – side-foot-to-side-foot – left the Cherries’ Ryan Christie crumpled in a heap on the floor and referee Thomas Bramall took no time at all to make his decision.
VAR officials Paul Tierney and Constantine Hatzidakis saw nothing wrong with the decision and allowed play to continue. The fact there was studs showing from the Reds’ No.10 and a high point of contact being made on his opponent were the deciding factors in this instance.
This was to the bewilderment of many, with a trio of former England internationals – Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Paul Merson – leading the campaign against the red card decision. Fans were also able to point out two massive inconsistencies with VAR involving Liverpool in recent months in comparison to the tackle made on Saturday.
However Mac Allister has opted not to join them in protest – publicly at least – as he posted his first message since the incident on Instagram on Sunday evening, writing on Instagram: “Yesterday I was able to make my dream come true by playing at Anfield as a Liverpool player. It was amazing.
“It wasn’t the match that I expected but we were able to succeed as a team giving the best we had. I would like to give special thanks to my team mates for the great effort and the fans for their constant support.”
The decision leaves Liverpool’s manager with decisions to make. He has already hinted that appeal could be made, whilst if this option is not undertaken then then the midfielder could be due to sit out of matches against Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Wolves.
