Brentford head coach Keith Andrews said Liverpool defender Jeremy Jacquet was “cute and clever” in the incident that led to Yehor Yarmoliuk’s red card during the 2-1 defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Yarmoliuk was dismissed in the eighth minute of first-half stoppage time after referee John Brooks reviewed the challenge on the pitchside monitor and judged that the Brentford midfielder had made “a headbutting action”.
Jacquet went to ground inside the penalty area, although Liverpool were not awarded a penalty because the corner from which the incident arose had not yet been taken.
Andrews accepted that Yarmoliuk should have handled the situation better, while suggesting the Liverpool defender had played his part in drawing attention to the contact.
“We need to look at ourselves first, which we always do. We don’t really tend to look at what part they played within the incident,” Andrews said.
“I do think they were cute, clever – but Yarmo needs to do better, so I can understand why it was a red.”
Asked to explain his comments, Andrews added: “If you look at where Jacquet is walking, he’s not looking at the ball, is he? He’s walking in to Yarmo.”
He later said Brentford were concentrating on their own actions and invited others to form their own view over whether Jacquet had made the most of the contact.
Andrews described Yarmoliuk as “an amazing young man” and said the Ukraine international, who is “very young”, would learn from the incident. He also acknowledged that the dismissal had changed the nature of the contest.
Goals from Victor Munoz and Alexander Isak turned the match in Liverpool’s favour, while Brentford finished with nine players after Vitaly Janelt was sent off for a second yellow card following a foul on Rio Ngumoha near the edge of the penalty area.
Andrews defended his players’ emotional approach, but suggested there could have been more discretion over Janelt’s second booking.
“I like us to play on the edge and, when you do that and you feel like some decisions aren’t fair, that can be very, very difficult for our players,” he said. “Our players aren’t robots.”
“Could there have been a bit more common sense with the second yellow? I think so.”
Iraola questions VAR intervention in Liverpool penalty decision
Brentford manager Andoni Iraola also criticised the decision to overturn a penalty awarded to Liverpool before Lewis-Potter’s opener.
Iraola accepted that Dango Ouattara had touched the ball while challenging Alexis Mac Allister, but argued that the video assistant referee should not have intervened because there was clear contact afterwards.
“I think Dango touches the ball. I don’t think it’s a penalty. But also I don’t think the VAR should intervene in that situation because there is clear contact after,” Iraola said.
He compared the incident with a penalty awarded against Brentford in their 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest, saying officials had previously told him that VAR would not intervene when contact remained after a player touched the ball.
“I think it’s a very similar situation. I wouldn’t call it a penalty, live,” Iraola added. “I don’t think the VAR should intervene.”
