When referee Paul Tierney blew the whistle to end the first half, defender Andy Robertson walked towards assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis as if to explain something. Whether he was listening or not is unclear, but this assistant referee shook his hand, elbowed the home team's Scottish star in the face and continued walking towards the middle of the field.
SkySports commentator Jamie Carragher spotted the assistant referee elbowing Robertson.
Angered by this unexpected action of the "man in black", Andy Robertson reacted violently and his teammates had to stop him to avoid a possible fight. Liverpool players turned to referee Paul Tierney to complain, however, instead of getting a clear explanation, Robertson was also given a yellow card for his reaction.
Andy Robertson was angry because he was "beaten" by the referee
Many TV commentators and reporters present at the field confirmed that Robertson loudly "accused" assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis of elbowing him in the neck. Captain Henderson also confirmed that his teammate was elbowed by the assistant referee for unknown reasons.
Liverpool players surrounded referee Paul Tierney in protest, with assistant Hatzidakis behind them.
Robertson was prevented by his teammates from arguing with the referee.
... but this defender still received a yellow card
The Premier League Referees' Association (PGMOL) said it had received a report regarding the incident between assistant referee Hatzidakis and defender Robertson. PGMOL said they would look into the matter thoroughly. Meanwhile, English football experts expressed their outrage at seeing Robertson attacked by the assistant referee.
The referee team (Hatzidakis in the middle) left the field to boos from the Anfield crowd.
Former footballer Darren Bent believes that the referee should be banned for eight matches, similar to what Fulham player Mitrovic faced after accidentally pushing the referee in the match against Man United. Former footballer and TV commentator Chris Sutton also agrees with Darren Bent that the referee should be banned for a number of matches.
Coach Jurgen Klopp did not comment much on the situation where Robertson was "beaten" by referee Hatzidakis: "I know about Robertson's incident. The pictures and videos will speak for themselves, but I will not discuss this issue."
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