Grabbed the ball when already booked.

Ref totally bottled it.
1-1

Should have been off. Woy won't be happy!

Of course, we must remember that Mane plays for one of the chosen sides and they were under the cosy at the time. Ref would be in trouble if he did them down!

To be fair it was a clear foul on him and he picked ball up to take free kick

About time a player was penalised for dropping on the ball and handling it. Usually that's all they need to do to get a fee kick. He should have walked.
Having said that I thought he was actually fouled in the 1st instance.

Probably the most obvious foul of the game

Swarbrick softed on him because he'd booked him in the first half for a dive, that was a clear pen.
Hinchcliffe on Sky said "not enough contact to go down" another day it's any contact go down.
I wish they'd make their mind up. He clearly had his leg taken but did exaggerate it.

For the first booking his standing leg was planted and his body position meant that he was never ever going to be knocked over by the contact coming from that angle. It was both a foul and a dive. Bizarrely I think the correct decision should have been to book Mane for simulation AND award a penalty to Liverpool. Never considered that as a possibility before.

He clutched the other leg!

Even Firmino was laughing, or he just looks like that.

piston broke wrote:Swarbrick softed on him because he'd booked him in the first half for a dive, that was a clear pen.
Hinchcliffe on Sky said "not enough contact to go down" another day it's any contact go down.
I wish they'd make their mind up. He clearly had his leg taken but did exaggerate it.

The law here is clear......there was contact before the ball ...so Mane was fouled...however the contact wasn't enough for him "to go to ground". He should have carried on playing. In his theatrical (embarrassing ) dive he was guilty of unsporting behaviour which warrants a yellow card.

If we accept that 2 offences occurred, the referee must in law punish the most serious offence. He did.


With hindsight the referee will be wishing he'd have awarded the free kick Liverpool's way, as you could argue he was fouled (a bit soft maybe)

It doesn't matter if was or wasn't a foul on Mane. The ref didn't blow for a foul and the ball was still in play when he picked it up. IMO it prevented the Palace player continuing in possession and a potential goal. Under the laws of the game it was 100% a yellow/red card, no interpretation required.

You see it quite a lot- players falling when being challenged and grabbing the ball immediately - even before the ref has had time to blow. I think it's trying to put pressure on refs to give the foul. Most times it is a foul and the ref is blowing anyway but I think sometimes it does make the ref's mind up.
Would've got a ticking off at school for grabbing the ball & not "playing to the whistle".

As mentioned on another thread, the reaction of Cabaye (aided and abetted by some others) didn't help as they were constantly waving imaginary cards at the ref putting him under ridiculous pressure to which I think he then baulked. I don't think it's something you see our players doing and I hope we never do.