Liverpool and Tottenham given new referee verdict on ‘leg-breaking’ Isak tackle
Alexander Isak suffered a suspected leg break after a challenge from Micky van de Ven during Saturday’s Premier League match between Liverpool and Tottenham
Liverpool and Tottenham have received a fresh referee verdict on Micky van de Ven‘s tackle on Alexander Isak, which left the striker with a suspected broken leg. Arne Slot‘s team clinched a narrow 2-1 victory on Saturday, with Isak netting the opening goal in the second half.
However, after scoring, a slide tackle from Van de Ven caught Isak’s leg as he planted it, forcing him to leave the pitch. The immediate concern shown by his teammates painted a grim picture. A stretcher was called, but Isak managed to limp off with assistance from Liverpool’s medical team.
While initial fears of a potential ACL injury were quickly dismissed by the club, the suspected diagnosis is no less serious. Reports on Sunday suggested a possible lower leg break, but the severity of the injury and the length of recovery time remain uncertain, pending further scans and updates from the club.
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Understandably, the incident has led many observers to question why Van de Ven wasn’t penalised given the harshness of the tackle. Replays showed that he lunged into the challenge with little chance of getting the ball, resulting in a severe injury, reports the Liverpool Echo.
The incident has sparked a debate, with pundits on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch having differing views on whether it was a red-card offence. Ex-pro Jay Bothroyd argued that while Van de Ven’s intention wouldn’t have been to injure Isak, the reckless nature of the tackle should have led to a sending off.
“Van de Ven has not intentionally tried to hurt Isak,” he explained. “Obviously, he is desperate to stop a goal and he’s coming across to stop the shot.
“This is an example where, yes, Isak has scored, but it should still be a red card. He’s lunging, he’s going into him. Every explanation you want to give for a red-card challenge is there. Because he’s scored, they’ve let it go.
“He’s lunged, he’s out of control. He’s trying to make a block but he’s never going to get there. If that’s in the middle of the park, that’s a red card.”
However, former referee Dermot Gallagher disagreed, maintaining that the challenge was not a red-card offence and that the outcome of the tackle shouldn’t overshadow its nature.
“I can’t see that he’s done anything that a footballer wouldn’t,” he explained. “I would be astonished if that was given as a red card anywhere on the field.
“Players mistime challenges all the time. He’s slightly late… it’s not a red card. Whether it be in the penalty area, in the D, the centre circle or the other half.”
Both pundits were in agreement, though, that the referee made the right call in sending off Xavi Simons for his tackle on Virgil van Dijk during the first half. The Dutchman lunged in dangerously on his national team skipper, catching the defender’s calf with his studs.
“I want to make clear that I don’t think Simons has any intention to do this, but he has done it,” Gallagher added on the Simons incident. “Once you see the replay, you can’t unsee it.
“When VAR sees that, in modern football, it is always going to be a red card. He’s unlucky, but he is always going to see red. You can’t make challenges like that anymore.”
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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
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