(Video) Amadou Onana avoids red card despite neck grab on Alexis Mac Allister…

(Video) Amadou Onana escapes a red card despite grabbing Alexis Mac Allister by the neck

Saturday night unfolded almost flawlessly for Liverpool – they secured a victory, maintained a clean sheet, and delivered a strong performance.

Mo Salah’s 250th goal for the Reds, along with a second-half strike from Ryan Gravenberch, marked the Premier League champions’ first domestic win in six weeks, propelling them to third place in the table overnight, allowing Kopites to enjoy their best night’s sleep in quite some time!

However, if Arne Slot had one grievance regarding the match, it would be an incident that deserved (but did not receive) a red card for Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana.

Onana was seen grabbing Mac Allister around the neck

As the visitors were about to take a corner kick in the 73rd minute, there was a flurry of pushing and shoving inside the Liverpool six-yard box, prompting Stuart Attwell to step in and restore order.

Television cameras positioned behind Giorgi Mamardashvili’s goal captured the Belgian midfielder clutching Alexis Mac Allister by the throat, causing the Argentine to fall to the ground.

This act earned Onana a yellow card from the referee, although one might question whether VAR should have stepped in to suggest a harsher penalty for the former Everton player.

Onana lucky to evade a red card

While we don’t want to see players unjustly sent off, the 24-year-old would have had little to argue if Attwell had issued him a red card for that incident.

Grabbing a player above the shoulders invites trouble, regardless of how slight the contact may be. Mac Allister’s response may have seemed exaggerated, but he had every right to feel wronged that Onana remained on the field after his transgressions.

The disbelief was heightened moments later when both Dominik Szoboszlai and Unai Emery received bookings for a trivial disagreement near the Villa technical area. It is perplexing how that warranted the same punishment from Attwell as Onana’s neck grab.

Fortunately, it did not affect the final outcome, and a wave of relief washed over Anfield at the full-time whistle following a well-earned victory for the Reds!

You can see Onana grabbing Mac Allister by the neck below, courtesy of @LiverpoolZNE on X:

How is this not a RED CARD for Onana?

He literally chokeslams Mac Allister to the ground.

The intent is unmistakable.