Andoni Iraola has criticised the decision to send off Ryan Gravenberch during Liverpool’s bruising 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
The Reds boss felt the Dutch midfielder was unfairly treated by referee Chris Kavanagh, with the match finely balanced until the 62nd minute, when Gravenberch was dismissed for a second bookable offence following a challenge on Jérémy Doku.
Liverpool subsequently collapsed, allowing City to claim all three points.
“I think the analysis is quite clear, no?” Iraola said in his post-match press conference.
“I think we played two different games: one until the red card, and one from the red card until the end. I think we were the better team until the red card in the first 62 minutes, I think.
“And they were better than us, obviously, after the red card. And they scored the goals. But I think the players deserve credit today, because I think they’ve given everything.”
He added: “They’ve given everything. And I think also supporters have been fantastic today, fantastic.
“Before, during, after. And I think the atmosphere and the feeling we had until that moment, also it was, I think, our best moment, probably, when we were having the chances and are positive.
“That obviously, when you lose after 3-0, it’s not a lot. But I think it was important.”
The Spaniard was particularly unhappy with Gravenberch’s first yellow card, arguing that the contact was too minimal to justify such a costly punishment in a game of this magnitude.
“I think the first foul of Ryan is never a yellow card, never,” he said.
“These kinds of games, just a stomp on the big toe, or something minor. He doesn’t even call the foul straight away.
“He lets bit go, I think Anderson does a couple of steps. He decides to go down.
“I don’t know why after he shows the yellow card, because it’s not a situation where it leaves advantage.
“We had nine players behind the ball. It’s like they had a lot of, you know, it was in the middle of the pitch, no danger there.”
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