talkSPORT’s Dean Ashton was left completely perplexed as to how Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi escaped a pink card for handball.
The Argentinian defender acquired a let-off within the first half of the Cherries’ season opener in opposition to Liverpool when he dealt with the ball close to the midway line.
2
Senesi initially tried to regulate the ball along with his thigh however failed to take action.
With the ball free and Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike able to pounce, Senesi appeared to poke the ball away along with his fingertips.
Had Senesi not intervened, Ekitike appeared poised to nip the ball and streak by unchallenged in the direction of purpose.
Though Reds boss Arne Slot, his gamers and the Anfield devoted all collectively protested, referee Anthony Taylor was unmoved and in reality awarded Bournemouth a free-kick for an additional indiscretion.
The Premier League Match Centre quickly issued a proof as to why Taylor’s name was upheld.
“The referee’s name of no pink card to Senesi was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the motion deemed to not be a transparent handball offence nor denial of a purpose scoring alternative (DOGSO), because of the distance from purpose,” the Premier League stated.
What was Dean Ashton’s verdict on the incident?
However talking on talkSPORT, one-time England worldwide Ashton believed Senesi greater than acquired away with one.
“Properly I believe there was panic that despatched in for Senesi,” Ashton stated.
“He is underneath stress from Ekitike. He does try to get a bit of claw to it. He simply throws it out and I believe it simply glances his fingertips.
“That may very well be sufficient. That is all it may take, the fingertips, to take it away from Ekitike. I believe it does.
“He has completely acquired away with that as a result of Ekitike might be by on purpose.”
Ashton rapidly doubled down on his stance and was adamant Bournemouth ought to have gone down to 10 males.
“I am sorry, however that feels a lot prefer it’s the primary sport of the season and we do not need to break it,” Ashton stated.
“We do not need a man despatched off so early within the first sport of the season and due to this fact we’ve not made the appropriate resolution.
“Senesi takes a swipe on the ball in his panic and the fingertips takes sufficient of a contact to take it away from Ekitike. He would have been by on purpose.
“It is a pink card they usually’ve simply not made the choice that they need to have.”
2
Though Ekitike could have been denied by Senesi, there was no stopping him from scoring the primary purpose of the 2025/26 Premier League season within the thirty seventh minute.
The Frenchman nut-megged Senesi to place himself in a one-on-one state of affairs with Cherries goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who he wrong-footed earlier than coolly slotting residence.
Ekitike then held up his fingers to kind a ’20’ in a cultured tribute to Diogo Jota, who handed away in a automotive crash alongside his brother Andre Silva in July.
