Dermot Gallagher has claimed that David Coote got ‘lucky’ over one contentious incident from Liverpool’s win over Aston Villa on Saturday night.
Darwin Nunez broke the deadlock at Anfield in the 20th minute, and in doing so may have spared the referee’s blushes somewhat due to what happened in the lead-up to the Uruguayan’s goal.
From a swift counterattack, Mo Salah was clean through on Emiliano Martinez before being brought to ground by Leon Bailey, although the ball broke for the Reds’ number 9 to eventually finish to the net.
TV footage showed the match official waving his arms as if to signal that, far from potentially showing a red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, he didn’t even deem it worthy of a foul.
Gallagher questions Coote interpretation of Bailey/Salah incident
Gallagher was asked for his take on that incident when he appeared on Sky Sports‘ Ref Watch on Monday, and he claimed that he would’ve handled it rather differently to Coote.
The forrmer top-flight official said: “If I was a referee, the minute Salah got clipped I’d blow my whistle. I’d be in control of the situation. I can justify stopping the game because I’m going to send him off. The referee does not think it’s a foul for whatever reason – he says ‘no foul’ twice.
“If Martinez had knocked that out for a corner, VAR could have recommended a review. If he’d played advantage, they couldn’t have. He’s a lucky ref, because Nunez has scored.”
Microscope is firmly on Coote after alleged video comments
Thankfully from a Liverpool perspective, Coote’s baffling interpretation that Bailey hadn’t fouled Salah was made redundant by Nunez subsequently finishing to the net, but that doesn’t mean the 42-year-old can get a free pass because of the outcome.
Even had Martinez saved from the Uruguayan, VAR would’ve been able to go back and recommend a review, but it was apparent to many watching that the Egyptian forward had been denied a clear goalscoring opportunity earlier in the move.
Gallagher’s assessment of that decision (or non-decision, as it turned out) seems even more pertinent now following the circulation of a video online which appears to show Coote making inflammatory remarks about Jurgen Klopp.
The referee has since been suspended by the PGMOL ‘with immediate effect pending a full investigation’ after that footage was made public.
If the individual making those comments is indeed the Nottinghamshire whistler, it’s difficult to imagine him being entrusted with a Liverpool match – or even any major fixture – in the future, and it’s left the refereeing body with an unsavoury mess to try and clean up in order to restore the faith of football fans in their officials.
