Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has declared that Chris Kavanagh was wrong to send off Ryan Gravenberch in Liverpool's 3-0 defeat by Manchester City, branding the Dutchman's first yellow card a mistake — and he is not the only one queuing up to question the official on a weekend when officiating grabbed the headlines.
The dismissal that turned Anfield
Sunday's showdown at Anfield was delicately poised until just after the hour mark. Liverpool, arguably the better side up to that point, lost Gravenberch for two bookable offences inside a quarter of an hour.
The first came shortly after the restart, when the 24-year-old was adjudged to have caught Elliot Anderson slightly late. The second saw him bring down Jeremy Doku after being turned by the City winger, and Kavanagh reached for his pocket again. Liverpool were down to ten men — and City were utterly ruthless.
Erling Haaland fired the visitors ahead with a close-range strike moments later, Jeremy Doku curled in a sublime second and Rayan Cherki completed the rout before the 80th minute — Liverpool's joint-biggest margin of defeat at Anfield in the Premier League. City — playing their first match since being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules — kept their perfect start to the season intact.
Pundits queue up to blast the call
Jamie Carragher, on co-commentary for Sky Sports, was scathing about the officiating. "It feels really harsh," the former Liverpool defender said. "The first one is not a yellow card, it was so harsh. The referee was far too quick to get the yellow card out."
Gary Neville agreed that the dismissal was "very soft," though he questioned whether Gravenberch needed to make the second challenge at all while already on a booking. Roy Keane went further: "I don't see how he can get a yellow card for that," the former Manchester United captain said, adding that Liverpool "looked like they had four men sent off" after the red. Daniel Sturridge called the first booking "a joke," while Micah Richards was equally baffled: "That is soft. How is that a yellow card? I don't understand."
Then came Hackett. The former referee and ex-PGMOL chief told Football Insider that Kavanagh did not have the ideal viewing angle and was wrong to issue the first caution, insisting he did not even see Gravenberch's challenge on Anderson as a foul because the City midfielder was already off balance and going to ground.
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola also defended his midfielder, insisting the first challenge on Anderson was never a yellow card.
Rooney offers a dissenting voice
Not everyone had sympathy for Gravenberch. Wayne Rooney, speaking on the BBC's Match of the Day, branded the midfielder "naive and stupid" for the way he handled the situation.
Rooney agreed the first booking was harsh — the Dutchman nicked Anderson on the top of his foot after a poor touch — but had little patience for the second foul. Knowing he was on a yellow and on the wrong side of Doku, Rooney argued, Gravenberch had to be smarter than to give Kavanagh a decision to make.
What it means for Liverpool's season
The defeat was Iraola's first since taking charge at Anfield, and it leaves Liverpool ninth in the table and still waiting for a first home win of the season — a stark contrast to City's six from six at the summit.
Sky Sports' post-match analysis laid bare the scale of the turning point: City had an xG of just 0.16 before the sending-off, but completely dominated once Liverpool went down to ten men. The game had two phases, as Iraola himself put it: "We've played two games today. One game until the 60th minute and then another game after the red card."
The absence of Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai — all missing through injury — had already stretched Liverpool's squad thin. Losing their standout midfielder on the day to a suspension he now looks unlikely to have deserved only rubbed salt in the wound.
Refereeing controversies come and go in this fixture, but this one will linger. A former top-flight official, the Sky Sports commentary team and Liverpool's own head coach are all aligned: Kavanagh got the biggest call of the game wrong.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Gravenberch's dismissal decided the biggest game of the Premier League weekend, and the verdict from those who know the laws best is damning — the first yellow should never have been shown. City took full advantage and march on, but the debate about Kavanagh's call will run far longer than the 3-0 scoreline. Was the referee right to send him off, or was Liverpool robbed at Anfield? Have your say below.
See also our Bentancur ban piece and title race analysis.
