A Tackle to Make Even a Referee Blush…
In the latest episode of “As the Ball Rolls,” Richard Keys has struck again! Armed with his keyboard, Keys dubbed James Tarkowski’s tackle on Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister as “naughty” — and not in the delightful tea-time biscuit sort of way. With a tackle more controversial than banana on pizza, the ball apparently played peek-a-boo in the Merseyside Derby mayhem, but should it have unleashed the referee’s red card dragon? Apparently, not according to VAR’s wizardry!
Despite the intense debate akin to a family feud over the TV remote, Tarkowski’s debut role as “The Unpunished” saw him escape with just a yellow. Diogo Jota waltzed through the chaos with a lone goal to slide Liverpool splendidly into a 12-point throne in the Premier League chart. But Keys and his Twitter magic wasn’t alone in this shouty jamboree; legends Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville, and Duncan Ferguson all banged the drum that the tackle could have reserved the naughty step for Tarkowski.
Meanwhile, VAR officials and ex-referee Mike Dean engaged in a tussle of perspectives hotter than a summer’s day in London. Clad in capes of controversy, Dean declared the follow-through could’ve been the star of a horror flick. Some would say it had the intensity of a high-speed train, but the VAR crew argued it cooled down to mere footballing antics. Can the footballing world sip on this tea or will Twitter remain ablaze with fury? Only time shall tell in this turf-based soap opera.
