Was Mark Halsey wrong? Did Jonjo Shelvey deserve a red card?

If Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra were the talking points in last years Manchester United and Liverpool fixtures, it was Jonjo Shelvey and referee Mark Halsey who were the talking points as soon as the Liverpool midfielder received his marching orders. In both the cases, it was the Liverpool who suffered.

Halsey unleashed his red card as soon as he saw the Liverpool player going in for a two footed challenge. But was it such an offense for Halsey to show the dreaded red card at that moment? That is open for debate. For Manchester United fans, it is a straight red and for Liverpool fans, it is not even a yellow. One has to understand that a two footed challenge results in a straight red, but not when the player gets a portion of the ball. To be fair on Shelvey’s part, he was clearly going in for the ball. But the safety of the players is given utmost importance.

Manchester United players on the bench and on the ground made that Shelvey offense look like a crime, as players ran to the referee asking him to show the card. The most noticeable character was Rio Ferdinand who looked animated, at the least, to see such a ruthless challenge by the Liverpool youngster. Ferguson, on the touch line, was shouting his throat out for the same. Soon the Manchester and Liverpool players crowded the referee and it looked as if the referee got to the pressure and flashed the red card. Shelvey was gone just minutes before the team were heading towards the tunnel for the break.

But, what the Manchester United fans did not see was the replay which clearly showed that even Evans had gone in with a two footed challenge. Some images and replays suggest that Evans was the culprit. But, it was Shelvey, who had gone in first – which caught everyone’s eye, including the main man – Halsey’s. So to be fair, if Liverpool were reduced to 10 men, Manchester United also deserved the same treatment.

For many fans who just wanted a quality match, the red card decision brought an imbalance to the equation and a fiery second half was thrown out of the window – all thanks to Halsey. But, truth is stranger than fiction. Liverpool lost the game, in spite of being a better team on the park, even with a man behind. They cannot change the scores no matter how many times they come up and complain about Halsey decisions, which also includes the penalty. It is better if the neutral fans decide, as to whether it was fair or unfair for Liverpool.