3 moments that shaped Liverpool’s shocking defeat to Burnley
The Fabinho vs Barnes incident
Just as the referee blew the whistle for half time, there was a coming together between Fabinho and Barnes. Nick Pope launched a goal-kick into Liverpool’s half, which the duo contested for.
Right as the whistle blew, the Brazilian defender evidently kicked out with minimal force at Barnes, who went down after the slightest contact. Right before he went down, though, Barnes kicked back at Fabinho with his heel.
Fabinho was punished with a yellow card, and rightly so. In situations like these, both parties are normally booked, and the game carries on. However, Barnes wasn’t given the same punishment as Fabinho despite a VAR check on the incident.
The forward, who was already on a yellow card for a rash tackle on Thiago, ought to have been given a second yellow card. The 31-year-old eventually scored the winner for Burnley in the second half when he probably shouldn’t have been on the pitch.
The incident also caused a heated dispute between the two managers in the tunnel. However, they refused to comment on the words exchanged when asked about in their post-match press conferences.
The only positive outcome of the incident was another meme-worthy expression, which fans wasted no time in highlighting.