Cristiano Ronaldo was close to being given his marching orders during Manchester United’s 5-0 defeat to Liverpool, according to former Premier League referee Keith Hackett.
Reds midfielder Curtis Jones was attempting to shield the ball out for goal kick before Ronaldo fouled him, after he went to ground the Portuguese forward aggressively kicked the ball against his body.
The incident sparked a mass confrontation between United and Liverpool players, and Ronaldo was cautioned.
A dismissal would’ve resulted in the 36-year-old being suspended for their next three Premier League fixtures; Tottenham, Manchester City and Watford.
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Ex-Fifa official Hackett claims Ronaldo walked a fine line but ultimately the right decision was made.
“I think it’s a tight call,” Hackett told Football Insider.
“Anthony Taylor came in quickly and stopped an escalation to what could have been a mass confrontation.
“Overall, I think Anthony Taylor handled that conflict really, really well.
“In relation to why did he get a yellow and not a red, I think it was because the ball was there. Those kicks were out of frustration and not from malice.
“It was borderline, but I’m going with the referee, a yellow card. It was actually a good bit of refereeing.
“When you’re faced with what appears to be a one-sided game, the danger the referee faces is that players do become frustrated.
“As a consequence, in fairness to Taylor, he maintained high levels of concentration and movement around the field to use his presence to prevent it.”
