BTC Premier League reveals the truth behind Szoboszlai's red card

The final moments of the high-stakes match between Liverpool and Manchester City were overshadowed by controversy and chaos.

Rayan Cherki seemed to have sealed the victory for Man City deep into stoppage time by shooting into an open goal from midfield, as Liverpool pushed forward seeking an equalizer. Cherki scored to make it 3-1 after Erling Haaland and Dominik Szoboszlai chased the ball, with the Hungarian midfielder committing a foul on Haaland while the Norwegian striker was preparing to shoot.

Haaland then also pulled Szoboszlai's shirt before the ball crossed the line, and of course VAR intervened while Man City players celebrated. The goal was disallowed, and Szoboszlai received a straight red card for the initial foul on Haaland.

The Premier League match center later issued a statement explaining the decision. The referee's announcement: “After reviewing VAR, there was a careless foul by Erling Haaland pulling Dominic Szoboszlai’s shirt. But before that, Szoboszlai held the opponent, denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity. The final decision was a direct free kick for Manchester City and a red card for Szoboszlai.”

In other words, Man City benefited, but since they also committed a foul in that advantage situation, the referee returned to penalize Szoboszlai’s original foul, resulting in the red card amid the chaos. Earlier, Szoboszlai had helped Liverpool take the lead with a stunning free-kick in the second half, after the home side dominated most of the match.

In the final 10 minutes, Man City surged strongly. In the 84th minute, Haaland rose high to head the ball to Bernardo Silva, who scored the equalizer. Then came Alisson’s costly moment. The Liverpool goalkeeper rushed out to challenge Matheus Nunes while the ball had already moved away from the goal, causing him to commit a penalty.

Haaland calmly converted the penalty at 90+3 minutes, bringing his Premier League tally to 21 goals this season. It seemed the drama had ended, but the tension was far from over. At 90+10 minutes, Cherki scored from midfield, but VAR intervened and overturned the decision, creating one of the most controversial moments of the season.