Aston Villa handed new red card verdict after Liverpool claim ignored

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher believes David Coote's decision-making was surprising during Liverpool's 2-0 win over Aston Villa. The official ruled that Mohamed Salah was not fouled by Leon Bailey as the Reds counter-attacked, leading to Darwin Nunez's opener.

The Reds burst forward from a Villa corner with Salah leading the charge before he was tripped by the winger. Coote felt that there was no infringement on the Egyptian international before Nunez rounded Emi Martinez to open the scoring.

Gallagher believes there were two saving graces for the man in the middle, including the Uruguayan applying the finish. And if he was in the situation, he claimed he would have blown after the initial contact between Bailey and Salah, issuing the Villa attacker with a red card.

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He told Sky Sports: "I will have to, not break my golden rule, I will have to tell you, if I was the referee, the minute Salah got clipped, I'd have blown my whistle. I think if I blow my whistle, I'm in control of my decision and I can justify stopping the game, I'm sending him off because I think it's a foul.

"What I think is interesting, the angle behind the goal, watch the referee, he does not think it is a foul for whatever reason and he does not play advantage, he says no foul twice. The interesting thing, that saves his grace, not only the goal but if Martinez knocked the ball out of play, the VAR would have been able to recommend a review.

"I'm not saying they would've suggested a red card but they would've been able to recommend a review but by saying no foul, the VAR could've said, 'you need to go look at this because we think it's a foul', and could've sent him off. If he plays advantage, he quite clearly said no foul, the VAR cannot overrule it.

"I avoid at all points, hypothetical questions, if that was me, when Salah got clipped, I would've hit my whistle. I think from his angle, it's a foul, the forward is in such an ascendancy, he has no reason to go down.

"Safest option for me is whistle, it's a red card and everyone will back off, they got a goal which saved him and for whatever reason he said no foul which was his parachute."