(Video) Arne Slot will demand answers after dangerous lunge on Wirtz which appalled BBC pundit
Florian Wirtz was on the receiving end of a dangerous challenge shortly before half-time this afternoon, and Arne Slot may be seeking answers as to how it didn’t result in a red card.
Liverpool got off to the perfect start against Brighton at Anfield as Hugo Ekitike broke the deadlock after just 47 seconds, with Mo Salah making his first appearance since his public comments last weekend as he came on (to a rousing reception) for the injured Joe Gomez.
There hadn’t been anything major for referee Craig Pawson to adjudicate upon until just before the interval, and the official shied away from making a big decision which would’ve been justified.
Diego Gomez avoids red card for reckless lunge on Wirtz
In first-half stoppage time, Wirtz was caught in the chest by the boot of Diego Gomez, who was nowhere near getting the ball and went in very late on the Reds’ number 7.
Pawson showed a yellow card to the Brighton attacker and, although the incident was referred to VAR, there was no change to the on-field decision despite the reckless challenge from the Paraguayan.
Could easily have been a red card
Thanlfully there was no lasting damage for Wirtz, who soon got to his feet and played on through the second half, but Slot must’ve been wondering how the officials could look at the incident and not at least summon the referee to the pitchside monitor for a review.
Even Chris Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live was appalled as he said: “The challenge on Wirtz is a really poor one from Gomez. It’s really high and catches Wirtz in the stomach. He must’ve been booked from that? So high and dangerous. Another day, he could’ve seen red.”
Gomez made no attempt to play the ball and caught the German well above the waist, and he can count himself fortunate to have gotten away with just a yellow card.
It’s no wonder that fans get so infuriated when players are booked for trivial offences such as minor dissent when the same punishment is meted out for tackles which could genuinely endanger a fellow professional.
We’d love to hear an explanation from Pawson and the officials on VAR as to how they deemed a yellow card to be sufficient punishment, but good luck getting one in public.
It might go under the radar if Liverpool are to go on and win this match, but Slot would be entitled to pose the question nonetheless.
You can view Gomez’s challenge on Wirtz below, taken from Spiler1’s match coverage and shared via @cartikennyy on X:
— . (@cartikennyy) December 13, 2025
The post (Video) Arne Slot will demand answers after dangerous lunge on Wirtz which appalled BBC pundit appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.