No mercy! Manchester United should have been forced to play full added time in 7-0 Liverpool rout, says referees chief Pierluigi Collina
- Liverpool won 7-0 against Man Utd
- Only three minutes at the end of the second half
- Collina wants full added time despite scoreline
WHAT HAPPENED? The Reds hammered Erik ten Hag's troops 7-0 on Sunday, with six goals scored in the second 45 minutes. Moreover, both teams used their full quota of five substitutions in the match and yet the fourth official decided to add just three minutes of stoppage time. Collina, in a briefing to reporters, expressed his disapproval and argued that even though the scoreline was heavily in favour of one team, the added time should reflect the time wasted during the match as goal difference could prove to be a vital factor while determining the rankings at the end of the season.
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WHAT THEY SAID: "In the game at Liverpool, there were four minutes added, one in the first half and three in the second. But there were six goals in the second half. I can understand that showing the right amount of time when it is 7-0 is difficult to understand. But in some competitions, the goal difference in the entire competition may be decisive at the end for the ranking. So, even one goal scored or not scored could make the difference," he explained.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: However, Collina did not rule out the possibility of introducing something similar to baseball's 'mercy rule', which ends a game when one team builds a significant lead over the other after a specified number of innings. "Maybe in the future, we may consider within the laws of the game to say that additional time has not to be given at the end of the match if there is a difference of 'X' goals between the teams. At a certain stage, we need to consider what is common sense and what is not. But this would be in the laws of the game," he stated.
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WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL & MANCHESTER UNITED? Jurgen Klopp's men will return to action against Bournemouth on Saturday whereas Manchester United will host Southampton a day later in the Premier League.