Graeme Souness: Naby Keita tackle on Jesse Lingard a ‘red card’

Graeme Souness believes Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita was fortunate not to be sent off in his side’s 4-0 demolition of arch-rivals Manchester United.

Goals from Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane settled the encounter, with Ralf Rangnick’s team looking bereft for much of the evening against an irresistible Liverpool side. 

However, having been introduced late on for the superb Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita went into a challenge with Jesse Lingard leaving the former England international writhing in pain.

Sky Sports pundits Graeme Souness (L) and Roy Keane (R) believe Naby Keita should have been sent off for Liverpool against Man United 

Midfielder Keita appeared to stamp on Jesse Lingard when the ball had gone after a challenge

Replays showed Keita had stamped on the United player’s calf and the Sky pundit was not impressed, saying the Guinean should have been given his marching orders by referee Martin Atkinson. 

Souness said: ‘It’s a red card all day. I think Keita’s got very lucky there. 

‘Liverpool [have] got lucky. It wouldn’t have affected the score but this was a sending off.’

Meanwhile, Souness’s fellow pundit Roy Keane agreed. 

‘He would have got a suspension. That’s a red card,’ he said. 

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are fighting on all fronts and cannot afford to suffer from suspensions 

With Liverpool’s fixtures coming thick and fast in the next few weeks with the club still fighting on all possible fronts, manager Jurgen Klopp could ill afford losing one of his players for any length of time. 

Had Keita been sent off for the challenge, it would have seen him miss Liverpool’s next three domestic fixtures. 

The result meant Liverpool went top of the league ahead of Manchester City’s home fixture against Brighton on Wednesday evening. 

Liverpool host rivals Everton this weekend before Villarreal arrive for the first instalment of their Champions League semi-final tie.