Stephen Warnock has slammed Ashley Young after the red card the Everton defender received at Liverpool in the Merseyside derby as the Premier League season resumed.
The Toffees took a trip to Anfield this Saturday afternoon as the Stanley Park rivals came out of the international break. But Young left Everton facing an uphill struggle from just the 37th minute at Liverpool. He left referee Craig Pawson with little choice but to show the red card.
Young received two yellow cards in the space of 19 minutes having first merited a caution in the 18th. The 38-year-old first tempted Pawson to brandish a caution for a late challenge on Luis Diaz. Young then caught Pawson’s eye again with another foul on the Reds’ 26-year-old.
Warnock slams Young for the Everton star’s red card at Liverpool
Pawson was seemingly trying to make a statement with Young’s first yellow card after a host of early fouls. The veteran right-back’s tackle was also late. But he did not learn his lesson to walk before the break. Young dived in on Diaz on the edge of Everton’s box and had to walk.
Given it was still early in the Merseyside derby, Pawson took his time before deciding to show Young a red card. But former Everton full-back Warnock claims Young should not have given Pawson a decision to make. He feels the 39-cap ex-England star should have known better.
“A player of his experience needs to do better,” Warnock stated on BBC Radio 5 Live. “Young thinks he has a chance to nick the ball away and dives in. Luis Diaz clearly wants to front him up, knows the defender is on a booking and wants to take him to the by-line.
“In that situation, you need to just accept you’ve been beaten and just hope someone behind you can help you out. You need to trust you have someone covering in behind.”
Young has forced Dyche into a re-think having been a favourite of his
Everton losing Young to a red card in the Merseyside derby at Liverpool will give Sean Dyche another issue next Sunday when they visit West Ham United. The 38-year-old has proven to be a favourite of the Blues boss this season. He has started in all nine of their league games.
Young joined Everton this summer with a one-year contract after leaving Aston Villa, despite turning 38 in July. Dyche has since trusted the veteran to play four Premier League games as a left-back and five at right-back. But Dyche must now give Nathan Patterson support again.
Dyche initially favoured Patterson at right-back with Young on the left in the first four games of Everton’s top-flight campaign. Yet he dropped the 22-year-old Scotland international and brought Vitaliy Mykolenko into the side on the left. But Young will now force him to rethink.
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