Liverpool fans are more used to seeing Philippe Coutinho leave the field in triumph rather than shame.
Coutinho was sent off in Liverpool’s loss to West Ham on Saturday at Anfield. Referee Kevin Friend issued Coutinho his second yellow card of the game in the 53rd minute for his challenge on West Ham’s Dimitri Payet. Coutinho’s tackle appeared to be the result of Payet turning into him after he already had commited himself.
Coutinho, whose unofficial nickname is “The Little Magician,” is a trickster, not a dirty player. Coutinho’s red card was his first since joining Liverpool in January 2013.
Friend later dismissed West Ham’s Mark Noble in another controversial refereeing decision.
After the game, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers publicly disagreed with both of Friend’s dismissals, especially that of Coutinho.
Coutinho will serve a one-game suspension, which rules him out of Liverpool’s visit to Manchester United on Sept. 12. It’s a heavy punishment for what appears to be a mistake.
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Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@LFCBoston
