Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers unhappy with Cesc Fabregas challenge
Monday 11 May 2015 07:57, UK
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas should have been sent off for his first-minute challenge on Raheem Sterling.
The Spaniard caught Sterling with a late tackle and caught the Liverpool forward’s ankle, with referee Andre Marriner showing him a yellow card early on in the Super Sunday encounter at Stamford Bridge.
The sides went on to share the spoils in a 1-1 draw - with goals from John Terry and Steven Gerrard - but Rodgers was unhappy they did not have a man advantage.
"It was a poor challenge," he said. "Fabregas should've been sent off - out of control, diving, stretching.
"It was early in the game (but) it doesn't matter if it's early, beginning of the second half, end of the game. It was a bad challenge and he deserved a red card for it."
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Sunday's draw leaves Liverpool six points behind fourth-placed Manchester United in the Premier League table and - with an inferior goal difference as well - it effectively rules them out of the race for the top four.
The Reds have struggled to match the standards set last season when they challenged for the Premier League title, and Rodgers is now looking to the summer to bolster his squad.
"We sit in fifth place and that's probably where we're at," he added.
"If we want to make the next steps, we need to find some acquisitions in the summer to help us do that.
"The players that I've worked with have been brilliant, given everything. Like today, we've been very unfortunate."
The Liverpool boss also hailed captain Gerrard, who came off with 10 minutes left to a standing ovation from everyone inside Stamford Bridge.
"He's taken a lot of stick here, but I think the Chelsea supporters knew deep down it's only because he's a superstar player," he said. "They showed great appreciation for him.
"I thought he was excellent. The last couple of games he's got the winner and he's got the equaliser.
"He's a player that makes the big contributions when needed. I've said before he's irreplaceable but we need to find the solutions, one way or the other."
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