"He needs to be careful" - Michael Owen unhappy with Liverpool superstar's antics in 2-0 Everton win
Liverpool earned a vital 2-0 victory in what was indeed an intense clash with Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Sunday. The match witnessed a controversial moment, with Sadio Mane at the heart of it, and former Reds striker Michael Owen has slammed the Senegalese for his misconduct.
Mane was shown a yellow card for raising his arm against Allan and pushing him in the face towards the end of the first half. He also stuck his finger in Mason Holgate's face and was lucky not to have been sent off. Michael Owen couldn't help but criticize the attacker's actions during the encounter.
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“This is not good,” the Englishman told Premier League Productions (via HITC). “Sticking his finger into Holdgate’s face is something you aren’t allowed to do.
“But then he quickly follows it up by raising his arm again and pushing Allan in the face. So, he got a yellow card for one of those two altercations. I think it was the one on Allan."
Michael Owen went further to say that Sadio Mane was lucky that neither of his two victims exaggerated their reactions to the incident, otherwise he could've been dismissed.
🗣 "If you look back with that on VAR, there's questionable things going on, maybe that's to be expected when you come here [Anfield]."
Frank Lampard had his say on Everton's penalty shout and a potential red card for Sadio Mane https://t.co/XI5aXZ3mp9
He continued: “You can’t raise your hands and you can’t put it in people’s faces. I think he also has to be thankful that the two Everton players didn’t make a meal of it.
“If any of those players go down and start rolling around, then the referee could then got to VAR… and then you are really risking a red card. He needs to be careful in the future,” the Englishman added.
What's next for Liverpool?
Following their victory over Everton yesterday, Liverpool have switched their focus to the Champions League where they'll face Villarreal in the first leg of their semi-final tie on Wednesday. Playing in front of their fans at Anfield, the Reds will be hoping to come out with a victory.
They'll then return to Premier League action at the weekend, with a clash with Newcastle United scheduled to take place at Saint James' Park on Saturday. Liverpool are involved in a tense title race with Manchester City right now and are second in the table, one point behind their fierce rivals with five games to go.