‘Sadio is my brother, my compatriot. But he should not have stayed on the pitch after one minute.’
Edouard Mendy has insisted that his Senegal international teammate Sadio Mane should have been sent off in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool.
Liverpool forward Mane was lucky to escape a red card after he caught Cesar Azpilicueta with an elbow just six seconds into the match at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The former Southampton man opened the scoring for the away side, before Mohamed Salah made it 2-0 when he calmly slotted past Mendy after a brilliant pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Chelsea pulled a goal back in the 42nd minute when Mateo Kovačić scored a wonderful volley, with Christian Pulisic making it 2-2 minutes later when he smashed his strike past Caoimhin Kelleher.
Many people suggested that Mane should’ve been sent off for the early foul, which saw him receive the fastest recorded booking in Premier League history.
Both Azpilicueta and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel were left stunned that a red card wasn’t shown and that VAR did not intervene.
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Following the game, Mane was pictured alongside Mendy as the pair jetted off for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Blues shot-stopper was asked for his opinion on whether his international teammate should have been given his marching orders.
Mendy told RMC Sport: “Sadio is my brother, my compatriot. But he should not have stayed on the pitch after one minute.”
Despite his comments, the pair will now go from opponents to teammates with Senegal’s first match of the tournament taking place on January 10 against Zimbabwe.
Related links:
- Carragher and Hasselbaink argue over Sadio Mane not being sent-off against Chelsea
- Cesar Azpilicueta insists Sadio Mane should have been sent-off for early elbow
- Sadio Mane somehow escaped red card just 15 seconds into Chelsea game
