Liverpool dropped points in the title race after a frustrating 2-2 draw with Aston Villa on Wednesday night, and a former Premier League referee believes their opponents should have had a man sent off early on.

Mohamed Salah's dynamic performance saw him score Liverpool's first and assist Trent Alexander-Arnold, after Villa surged ahead with strikes from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins.

But the game could have been turned on its head when Axel Disasi, on loan from Chelsea, clashed with Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister – an incident that left many fans believing Disasi deserved an early exit.

Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett echoed this sentiment and chastised referee Craig Pawson for his 'lenient' decision to only book Disasi, despite committing what appeared to be a clear red card offence.

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Hackett told Football Insider: "I really don't get it.

If you strike, or attempt to strike an opponent, as Disasi did against Mac Allister, then that is a red card offence.

"There was clearly force, Mac Allister went to ground pretty quickly, so where was VAR?

Because Craig Pawson, I'm sorry, you got that decision wrong."

Hackett didn’t mince his words, telling Pawson: "You were too lenient, that player [Disasi] should have walked."

It's not the first time Hackett has claimed Liverpool were hard done by after their opponents escaped further punishment.

The former PGMOL chief, in a series of posts on X, branded Michael Oliver's approach to officiating the 2-2 draw with Everton “weak” and claimed the under-fire referee made “too many errors.”

The result puts Liverpool eight points ahead of second-place Arsenal, who have a game in hand against West Ham United on Saturday.

The Reds are set to travel to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday for a crucial clash with struggling defending champions Manchester City, who currently sit in fourth place and are trailing the leaders by 17 points.

This article originally appeared on the Liverpool Echo.


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