Ibrahima Konate was brought off at half-time in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Wolves, with Arne Slot left in disagreement with Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira.
Konate was substituted at the break, with the Reds 2-0 up, having already been booked in the first half and with referee Simon Hooper under pressure from the away fans.
Those of a Wolves persuasion felt the centre-back should have been shown a second yellow for a collision with Matheus Cunha late in the half.
And speaking in his post-match press conference, Slot admitted he substituted Konate as a preventative measure – though he did not agree with the yellow card or the calls for a red.
“Yes, I took him off because of that,” he said when asked about the threat of going down to 10 men.
Liverpool 2-1 Wolves
“I saw him getting his first yellow, that was for me a soft yellow. If he would have gotten the second one for a shoulder push that would again have been a soft yellow.
“So then he would have been sent off for two soft yellows. I think the referee felt the same, that’s why he didn’t.
“But I’ve watched football so many times in my life and I know that a player and a referee is then under pressure.
“So every next foul will lead again to maybe a referee that thinks ‘maybe I now should give him’ – I think back on three days ago.
“For Ibou it’s so difficult to play 45 minutes of football against a strong Wolves team [on a booking], so I had to take him off.
“Because you can play football knowing in your head you can make a foul against such good players as Wolves have.”
Konate’s early exit could prove a blessing in disguise too given the tight turnaround between fixtures, with a trip to Aston Villa to come on Wednesday night.
It could even be that Slot opts to start Jarell Quansah in his place in midweek knowing that Man City await on Sunday, with it imperative that Konate avoided any suspension for the week ahead.
Wolves boss Pereira was of the opinion that the Frenchman should have been dismissed, however, as he told reporters at Anfield.
“What can I say? If I say now I cannot change anything. Whatever I say won’t change anything,” he said when asked about the situation.
“OK, in my opinion it was a second yellow card, but I’m not a referee.”
