Liverpool have been on the end of some spectacularly appalling refereeing decisions this season - giving a tragicomedy slant to the phrase: "Good process."
However, they may very well have been the beneficiaries of inconsistent decision-making while prevailing 2-0 in Saturday's Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield.
Everton's Ashley Young had trudged off after two clear yellow card offences in the first 37 minutes. On his first Premier League start since August, Ibrahima Konate somehow avoided a pair of bookings himself.
Even his Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp conceded "Ibrahima could have gone" after the match. The German coach hurriedly substituted Konate for Joel Matip to give the referee any chance of making up for his perceived error. "It could have happened obviously and then we took him off and from that moment we were solid and compact."
So, why wasn't Konate shown a second yellow?
Why wasn't Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate sent off against Everton?
As is so often the case, the Merseyside derby rapidly became a bitty contest defined by transitions. Mohamed Salah sealed all three points on the counter with his second goal of the afternoon deep into stoppage time but Everton had the chance to canter freely into Liverpool's half while the game was still goalless.
After a turnover in midfield, Beto immediately span towards goal. The Portuguese forward was still well inside Everton's half but so was every other outfield player. Konate, caught out by the speed of the release from Beto, stepped across the Everton forward, catching his left shin with a clumsy stride in the 65th minute.
Konate was already on a yellow card from a quarter-hour earlier and referee Craig Pawson did not return to his pocket. Virgil van Dijk was haring across on the cover, eliminating the scenario of denying a clear goalscoring opportunity and the threat of a red card. VAR cannot advise or overturn a second booking.
Yellow cards have to be handed out in isolation. While human nature can scarcely allow it, referees are theoretically supposed to make each decision in a vacuum, irrelevant of previous events. Yet, had Konate not been already booked, he likely would have been cautioned for tripping up Beto.
Law 12 in the FA's handbook states that a foul is punished with a yellow card when committed "in a reckless manner". The same literature explains: "Reckless is when a player acts with disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, an opponent and must be cautioned."
If Pawson was looking for a way of justifying his lack of a booking, he could argue that Konate's offence was careless rather than reckless. "Careless," as the FA clarifies, "is when a player shows a lack of attention or consideration when making a challenge or acts without precaution. No disciplinary sanction is needed."
Reaction to Konate's non-dismissal
Everton boss Sean Dyche, understandably, wasn't best pleased. Enveloped in a hot embrace of furious bafflement, Dyche claimed that "no one in the stadium" knew how Konate remained on the pitch.
Toffees fans took up the baton of outright anger. Screaming into the void of social media.
Funnily enough, those of a Liverpool persuasion didn't stew over the decision for too long.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Why was Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate not sent off against Everton?.
