Former referee Mark Halsey insisted that Craig Pawson followed the rulebook correctly by disallowing Rayan Cherki’s goal and sending off Dominik Szoboszlai during the frantic conclusion of Liverpool vs. Manchester City.
Ex-Premier League official Mark Halsey has defended referee Craig Pawson’s decision to disallow a Rayan Cherki goal and dismiss Dominik Szoboszlai during Manchester City’s 2-1 win at Liverpool.
Despite intense criticism from fans and pundits, Halsey argued the intervention was technically correct after Szoboszlai pulled back Erling Haaland.
This initial foul denied a clear goalscoring opportunity, necessitating a red card under the laws of the game.
Halsey clarified that Haaland’s subsequent retaliation meant an advantage could not be played, forcing the referee to penalize the first offense.
Halsey noted: “Craig Pawson had no choice but to rule out what would have been Manchester City’s third goal against Liverpool. Craig was correct in law.
People will be saying, ‘Why didn’t he just give the goal?’. But Haaland’s pull-back stopped the Liverpool player from clearing the ball.”