Should Van de Ven have been shown a red card for Isak tackle in Liverpool vs Spurs clash? | OneFootball

Former Premier League stars Frank Leboeuf and Jay Bothroyd claim Micky van de Ven should be punished for the tackle which injured Liverpool striker Alexander Isak as the Reds beat Tottenham 2-1 on Saturday.

The Reds came away with the three points from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the weekend but they are facing some potentially costly injury news.

Although Liverpool have not officially confirmed the news, there is speculation that Isak broke his leg when scoring the opening goal of the game against Spurs.

Isak had already taken his shot when Van de Ven lunged late into the challenge and caused injury to the Sweden international.

Van de Ven avoided punishment as Liverpool got the reward of scoring a goal but Leboeuf reckons the Tottenham defender needs to face retrospective action.

Former Chelsea defender Leboeuf told ESPN: “I love the way Micky van de Ven is behaving and the way he plays football, and I love the player, but he has to be punished.

“I’m sorry, you cannot get out of that when you broke the leg of somebody. You take a chance, you’re a defender. I was a defender and never injured any player.

“You can tackle, you can be hard, but you have to know and be in control of what you do. And, I’m sorry, in that manner, and the result says a lot, Van de Ven was not in control.

“And for me, that’s maybe unfortunate, but something has to come out. He cannot again be released with nothing after that tackle.”

Ex-Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers forward Bothroyd was of a similar opinion as Lebouef when appearing on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch show.

He said: “Van de Ven has not intentionally tried to hurt Isak. Obviously, he is desperate to stop a goal and he’s coming across to stop the shot.

“This is an example where, yes, Isak has scored, but it should still be a red card. He’s lunging, he’s going into him. Every explanation you want to give for a red-card challenge is there. Because he’s scored, they’ve let it go.

“He’s lunged, he’s out of control. He’s trying to make a block but he’s never going to get there. If that’s in the middle of the park, that’s a red card.”

But former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher insisted it was not a sending off offence, he added: “I can’t see that he’s done anything that a footballer wouldn’t. I would be astonished if that was given as a red card anywhere on the field.

“Players mistime challenges all the time. He’s slightly late… it’s not a red card. Whether it be in the penalty area, in the D, the centre circle or the other half.”

Both Bothroyd and Gallagher agreed that it was the correct decision to send off Tottenham attacking midfielder Xavi Simons in the first half for a challenge on Virgil van Dijk.

Gallagher said on the Simons incident: “I want to make clear that I don’t think Simons has any intention to do this, but he has done it. Once you see the replay, you can’t unsee it.

“When VAR sees that, in modern football, it is always going to be a red card. He’s unlucky, but he is always going to see red. You can’t make challenges like that anymore.”