Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer have become the latest to have their say on Xavi Simons' red card during Liverpool's win at Tottenham on Saturday night
Gary Lineker does not think Tottenham midfielder Xavi Simons should have been shown a red card during Liverpool's 2-1 win against Spurs on Saturday. Netherlands international Simons was given his marching orders in the 33rd minute following a late challenge on Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk had passed the ball back to Alisson Becker when Simons appeared to catch the Liverpool captain late on the back of his Achilles. Referee John Brooks initially gave the Spurs man with a yellow card, but was then advised by VAR to have another look at the incident on his pitch-side monitor.
Brooks opted to upgrade the card to red, sending Simons off and reducing Spurs to 10 men. Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank fumed at the decision in his post-match press conference, saying the "game is gone", while Arne Slot didn't think Simons made a malicious attempt to hurt Van Dijk and injure him.
Now, ex-Everton and Tottenham forward Lineker has shared his view on the red card. "I'm going to have a little bit of a rant myself here. I know in slow motion you can pick it apart, his [Xavi Simons] studs may have caught the back of his [Virgil van Dijk] calf, but the fella is just trying to put his foot on the ground," he told the Rest Is Football.
"I mean there's absolutely zero intent. I mean yes, Virg might have got hurt, that happens in football, it happens all the time, doesn't mean to say it's a vicious foul. I just can't stand red cards for things like that, it was nothing. It's another one of those that looks in slow motion, you go 'ooh, blimey, he's raked down the back of his calf'.
"In normal speed it wasn't that, it's not like that at all. It’s not like that at all. And I know they all thought it was a red card and you two may think it's a red card, and I understand now that when they look at things, they might go and break it down so slowly, but when you see it in normal speed, it's just his foot landing, he flicks him.
"It's nothing, it's absolutely nothing."
Alan Shearer added: "It's totally accidental, totally accidental, yeah." Lineker continued: "Yellow card would've sufficed."
Simons, meanwhile, apologised after the game. He said on social media: "Mistakes happen. Virg is my captain, I would never intentionally hurt him or anyone.
"To my Spurs teammates, my manager and the fans, I take responsibility. I'm really sorry."
Van Dijk then chipped in with his verdict and said: "I don't think there was any intention to hurt me but obviously he hurt me and then the referee and the VAR made the decision to send him off.
"I spoke to him. It's a chat that no-one needs to know."