Arne Slot was left relieved that Wataru Endo escaped injury after a knee to the head in Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Ipswich, even accepting the yellow card decision.
Ipswich forward Julio Enciso had only been on the pitch for a minute when he produced a nasty challenge on Endo, his studs finding the midfielder’s stomach and his knee colliding with his face.
Endo was left on the turf, tending to his jaw, while referee Michael Salisbury saw fit to only book Enciso for a reckless, dangerous tackle.
Fortunately, Liverpool’s No. 3 was able to shake off the blow and play on for the rest of a 4-1 victory, remaining as involved as ever on and off the ball.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Slot gave his view of events, praising Endo for his fighting spirit.
“When the foul was made I was like ‘oo, that doesn’t look good’ and the reaction from the players around him showed me like ‘let’s wait and see’,” he told reporters.
Liverpool 4-1 Ipswich
“But immediately during the game already, he shakes his head one or two times and just goes again.
“His mentality is unbelievable. And he was fine.
“It was only a yellow, so I assume that the fear I had was not realistic.”
Asked whether he felt Salisbury had been lenient on Enciso given the context of the game, with Liverpool already 4-0 up and certain to win, Slot disagreed.
“In general I don’t think referees act like that,” he insisted.
“Because if they do so they probably hear it from the people above them, ‘you have to do what is necessary’.
“So I assume that it was a yellow. I haven’t seen it back, but I assume it was a yellow.”
It is certainly questionable that Enciso escaped a red card, particularly given events elsewhere as Arsenal full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly was dismissed for a much lighter offence in their eventual 1-0 win over Wolves.
Ironically, there is an argument that Slot would have looked more harshly on the situation – and Salisbury’s decision – had Liverpool not been coasting to another three points.
Endo is likely to come in for more game time next week as Liverpool visit PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League and Bournemouth in the Premier League, potentially starting the former given the Reds are all but certain of finishing top.
There is still a chance, of course, that the effects of Enciso’s challenge will be felt stronger in the hours after Saturday’s game, but there appears no indication of that so far.
