Arne Slot blamed injury as the reason for Andrew Robertson’s straight red card during Liverpool‘s weekend draw with Fulham.
The Reds hung on to their 20-game unbeaten streak but required a late Diogo Jota goal to do so, with the Portuguese ace coming off the bench to net the leveller five minutes from time.
Liverpool had been up against it all afternoon, having fallen behind initially to an Andreas Pereira opener, only for Robertson to be shown red moments later.
The left-back was caught out by former Liverpool star Harry Wilson after taking a heavy touch and hacking down the Fulham ace.
Liverpool did eventually level to make it 1-1 shortly after the restart, but Rodrigo Muniz looked as if he’d snatched all three points for the visitors 15 minutes from full-time.
Jota’s equaliser meant the points were shared, however, Slot was quick to defend Robertson during his post-match debrief, insisting the Scot wasn’t fully fit.
He told Sky Sports: « I think Robbo might have been a bit too injured to keep going because normally he’s faster than that. It says a lot about his character that he wants to keep on going but it results in a red card.
« I think it’s just whether it’s offside. I was clear it wasn’t going to be changed. It’s maybe the only thing I didn’t complain about today. It’s an emotional game and we were a man down, it’s frustrating. It’s good to see our performance after so many setbacks. »
Slot added: « It’s difficult to judge for me because I only see it in real-time like the referee.
« We have to accept what VAR sees. You know how important these decisions can be. We ended up with a draw and I don’t think we can blame the referee for that. There were a few moments when I could have been given a yellow card.
« It’s marginal moments and when some go against you, you think some will go for you but I haven’t felt that here. There was a moment when one of their players already on a yellow could have been given another. »
Slot’s frustrations with the referee weren’t only reserved for the Robertson incident, as the Dutch coach picked up a yellow card of his own, meaning he’ll be in the stands for next weekend’s clash away to Tottenham.
What’s more, the hosts had felt as if Fulham should’ve had a red card of their own two minutes in, but Issa Diop escaped with just a yellow card instead.
Regardless, Slot was full of praise for his players following their stalemate against the Cottagers.
He stated: « I don’t think I could’ve asked for more from my players, especially after going down to 10 men. I couldn’t have asked for more in terms of performance and results. of course, we could have had two points more.
« At the start of the game, you always want to start intense. After 30 seconds, one of ours was on the floor and needed treatment for a while so we couldn’t get the intensity more. »
Liverpool return to action in midweek when they take on Southampton in the League Cup.
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