Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai will be suspended for just one match after his red card against Manchester City, with the Hungarian avoiding a three-game ban due to a specific rule.
Szoboszlai was shown a straight red card in the final minutes of Liverpool’s dramatic 2-1 loss to City at Anfield on Sunday, with the Hungarian dragging back Erling Haaland when the Norwegian was running through to tap in to an empty net.
While the on-field decision was originally to give the goal after Haaland also fouled Szoboszlai, a VAR review highlighted the foul on the Norwegian in the build-up and decided to award the free-kick and red card. The explanation given was that because Haaland’s foul on Szoboszlai effectively cancelled out the initial advantage that was played, the game had to be stopped.
That meant that Szoboszlai was then guilty of preventing a goalscoring opportunity, so he received a red card, with Haaland later reflecting: ““For me, the referee has to follow the rules, but in the end I feel bad for him [Szoboszlai], he gets three games [as a ban]. Just give the goal.”
Like Haaland, many fans might assume that Szoboszlai would be banned for three games after receiving a straight red card, though the rules are different when the sending off is due to preventing a goal rather than foul play.
FA rules that that “a red card for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO) comes with an automatic one game suspension”.
The explanation is as follows: “Because a violation of this rule goes against the spirit of the game but still occurs in the context of the competition, it is not considered as serious as violent conduct, which endangers the health and safety of others.”
The rule means that Szoboszlai will miss Liverpool’s trip to Sunderland in midweek, though he will be available for selection again for the match against Brighton in the FA Cup on Saturday, 14 February.
