Referees’ governing body PGMOL has acknowledged that Everton defender James Tarkowski should have been shown a red card during Liverpool’s 1-0 Merseyside derby win on Wednesday.

Tarkowski was initially given a yellow card for a foul on Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister in the 11th minute, following a brief VAR review.

While Tarkowski won the ball, he caught Mac Allister high on the back of the calf with his follow-through.

PGMOL has since confirmed that the card should have been upgraded to red as the challenge met the criteria for serious foul play.

Despite referee Barrott deeming the challenge reckless, VAR official Paul Tierney upheld the yellow, ruling it not a clear and obvious error.

Liverpool fans expressed their frustration with the decision, especially after PGMOL admitted their mistake.

On social media, many fans vented their anger, with one user commenting: “These acknowledgements don’t matter, especially since nothing can be done about it; they’re just adding salt to an injury like this.” Another added, “PGMOL are a joke.”

A third user stated, “Anyone who understands football knows that this should have been a straight red.”

Everton manager David Moyes also admitted after the match that Tarkowski was fortunate to remain on the field.

He described the tackle as “a brilliant tackle for a derby game” but acknowledged that the rules around follow-throughs have changed.

Moyes also referred to the controversial decision not to rule out Luis Diaz’s offside position in the build-up to Diogo Jota’s match-winning goal, suggesting that his side had been “a bit lucky” in the circumstances.

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