Keith Hackett ‘surprised’ by major controversy in Sunderland defeat vs Man City
Luke O’Nien’s sending off for Sunderland has sparked debate among Black Cats supporters.
Sunderland suffered a 3-0 defeat away to Man City on Saturday, with the game as good as gone after the first half.
Ruben Dias opened the scoring from range before goals from Josko Gvardiol and Phil Foden made sure of all three points for Pep Guardiola’s side.
However, that wasn’t the last of the action for Sunderland, with O’Nien given his marching orders for a challenge late in the game.
Keith Hackett surprised by VAR intervention
O’Nien has been a hero for Sunderland throughout his seven years at the club, but his short cameo at the Etihad is certainly going to be one he wants to forget.
Just minutes after coming on as a late substitute, O’Nien was late to the ball in a challenge that sent Matheus Nunes to the floor, and quite clearly in agony.
Andy Madley brandished a yellow card, but replays showed the challenge was a lot worse than first assumed, with VAR then intervening to upgrade it to a red.
However, when speaking exclusively to Mackem News, Keith Hackett was surprised that Madley required VAR to make the decision.
The former referee said: “O’Nien’s challenge fulfilled the Law of Serious Foul Play and I’m surprised that Andy Madley needed the intervention of VAR on this one“
Josko Gvardiol escaped red card for a similar challenge
There is little denying that O’Nien‘s challenge was worthy of a red, though the decision saw plenty of Sunderland fans question an incident earlier in the game.
Nordi Mukiele was racing down the line when Gvardiol hacked him down, only to be given a yellow card.
VAR checked and cleared it for serious foul play, and Hackett believes they were right to do so.
He said: “That challenge by Gvardiol is close to a red, but because the contact is low, that supports the decision of a yellow card for a reckless challenge“
Ultimately, neither incident had much of an impact on the game in the grand scheme of things, with Sunderland simply outclassed by Man City on the day.
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