A real scandal broke out after the match between Liverpool and Manchester City from the sixth round of the Premier League, won by the "citizens" with 3:0 at "Anfield". The head referee Chris Kavanagh, who is from Manchester, has once again become a central figure in a match between Merseysiders, after having made several controversial decisions against the "reds" over the years.
The match was extremely equal until the 62nd minute, when Ryan Gravenberh received a second yellow and a red card. The midfielder's first yellow card, received a quarter of an hour earlier, is key, with replays showing that there was probably no contact, and even if there was, it is debatable whether there was a foul, let alone grounds for an official warning. However, Chris Kavanagh reacted swiftly and immediately showed Gravenberch a yellow card.
In the 62nd minute, after minimal, seemingly unintentional contact from Gravenberch with Jeremy Doku, the winger fell to the ground. The foul was called immediately. Kavanagh hesitated before Erling Haaland rushed towards him and started shouting at him, demanding Gravenberch be sent off. This was enough for the referee to issue a second yellow card and send off the Liverpool midfielder. After that, Manchester City were unstoppable and quickly scored three unanswered goals, completely breaking the home team's resistance.
The scandalous refereeing caused a huge response, with legends such as Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Peter Schmeichel, Maika Richards and Freddie Ljungberg expressing the opinion that Kavanagh had decided the match with his wrong decision. Gary Neville himself, a Manchester United legend, was furious and asked Sky Sports not to comment on any more Manchester City matches until the end of the season. Watch the situations and judge for yourself.