Man Utd complete agreement as Dalot avoids red for Man City incident | Football | Sport

Dean told Sky Sports News: “For me, that’s 100% a red card. There’s not a lot of force in it, but it’s too high, the knee’s buckled back, for me, that’s a red card all day. At normal speed, to be fair, you can’t tell. It just looks like it’s a late tackle and he’s caught him.

“But when you see the replays, the replays aren’t good; for me, that’s a red card. I know they said don’t go looking for things, but it’s high, it’s across the kneecap, it’s a red card all day.”

Pundits in the Sky Sports studio were unanimous in their assessment. Micah Richards declared: “He’s on top of his knee, that’s the clearest red card you’re going to see. I mean, what more do you want for a red card? Studs on the knee.”

Daniel Sturridge, addressing the rationale given for the caution not being escalated, commented: “That’s not a glancing blow. That’s ‘taking a knee in a boxing match’, you’ve got a good punch to the jaw.

“That to me there, looks like a red. If I’m Doku, I’m staying down. If he stays down longer…” Roy Keane interrupted: “He helps him, definitely.”

Keane agreed with the idea that the challenge coming in the opening few minutes of the match may have contributed to the decision.

“Well maybe,” Keane replied. “But obviously they’ve had a look at it, do you know what I mean? We always argue about ‘does it matter what minute it is? Is it too early? Too early to score a goal? Bad tackle, like that?

“Listen, I’ve been down this road before: I’ve given out some heavy tackles and been on the receiving end of a few. To me? I’m no expert on red cards, but…I think it’s a red.”

Similarly, Gary Neville on commentary said: “Not good. It is knee high. The ball is there and Jeremy Doku shifts it. Diogo Dalot is very late. He is clearly looking for the ball, but Doku is too quick for him.”