Last week’s derby game between Liverpool and Everton was decided in a bigger part by the referee than it was by the players. In the 22nd minute of the match, ref Martin Atkinson decided to send Everton’s defensive midfielder Jack Rodwell off with a red card after a tackle on Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez.
The FA dismissed the ban after an appeal Everton submitted for the suspension and stated: “Everton’s Jack Rodwell has had his claim for wrongful dismissal upheld.
“As a result, the three-match suspension handed to him has been withdrawn.
“Rodwell had originally received a red card for serious foul play in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool at Goodison Park on Saturday October 1.”
It seems that Everton’s manager David Moyes was right all along when he said at the end of the game that it was not a fair sending off.
“I thought it ruined the game. That wasn’t down to a bad tackle,” said the Scot.
“I would have been disappointed if it had been a free-kick. I don’t think anyone in this world thought it was [a sending off].”(The Mirror)
Everton lost the game against Liverpool 2-0 after being the far better team until the 22nd minute send off. Moyes has his reasons to be frustrated at the turn of events, but that’s football for you. There’s nothing Everton could do about The Reds win now.
Whilst I welcome the rescinding of this red card, on balance it shouldn’t have affected the game. Minutes after it Rodwell was dismissed Cahill launched an assault which was worthy of a red, followed by Hibbert two footed and the worst of the lot by aFellaini ankle breaker. Is it possible to appeal their non-red cards?
It was laughable how the pundits used these as evidence Rodwell shouldn’t have seen red, is there not an argument that Atkinson got it wrong the other way….3 times?
These ref have costed several teams and the greatest victim of wrong decision making by Ref has been Arsenal . But in matches involving MAN UNITED such decisions are ever in there favour