Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer engaged in a heated debate over Diogo Dalot's challenge on Jeremy Doku during the Manchester derby, which resulted in only a yellow card. The incident, reviewed by VAR Craig Pawson, sparked disagreement between the two pundits on their podcast, The Rest is Football.
Shearer, who had earlier expressed his displeasure on Match of the Day, reiterated his view that Dalot should have been sent off. 'They got lucky with what should have been a red card for Dalot. There's no doubt about it,' he said, calling the VAR decision 'absolute rubbish.'
Lineker interrupted Shearer, defending referee Anthony Taylor. 'I totally get your point, Alan, but the one thing I'll go back to, as well, in normal time, it didn't look like anything. Yeah, in slow motion it did, but you're right,' said Lineker.
Shearer countered, emphasising the role of VAR: 'The referee couldn't see it, I get that, but that is a terrible challenge, that is endangering an opponent, which means a red card.' The Premier League Match Centre had acknowledged the tackle was reckless but deemed the contact glancing and not excessive force.
Despite the controversy, Shearer praised Manchester United's overall performance, calling them 'absolutely brilliant' and noting they made Manchester City 'look very average.' He urged consistency, saying, 'That has to be the norm for them every week now.'
