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Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has shed light on why Amadou Onana escaped a red card during Liverpool's victory over Aston Villa. The Reds secured a 2-0 triumph over Villa at the weekend to end their losing streak and climb into the top four. Arne Slot's team had endured four consecutive Premier League defeats before overcoming Villa, and now sit third in the standings ahead of next weekend's encounter with Manchester City. Strikes from Mohamed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch sealed the points for the Reds at Anfield, though the fixture wasn't without its flashpoints. The controversy erupted in the second period when Villa midfielder Onana received a booking following a heated confrontation with Alexis Mac Allister inside the Liverpool box during a corner. Television replays revealed that Onana had placed his hands around Mac Allister's neck, prompting referee Stuart Attwell to show the ex-Everton man a yellow card. VAR reviewed the incident and upheld the on-field decision, meaning no dismissal was handed to Onana. Gallagher has now clarified why Attwell and VAR opted for a caution instead of a sending-off. "The fact they were pushing and shoving each other and all right, he's raised his arm, probably a bit higher than he wanted, but he's pushing," said Gallagher on Sky Sports' Ref Watch programme. "Stuart's [Attwell] got to decide, is it violent? Is it an act of brutality? He said: 'No,' he's obviously relayed to the VAR what he's seen, VAR has checked it back. The referee said, yellow card only.", reports the Liverpool Echo . Former Premier League striker Jay Boothroyd was alongside Gallagher in the studio and outlined why Onana deserved to see red for the confrontation with Mac Allister. "As much as I like a physical game, I look at this situation, I'm like, if someone puts their hand on my throat in the street like that, you're gonna get an aggressive reaction from me," said Boothroyd. "So in that instance, I'm saying that should be a red card, because obviously Mac Allister can't do that, right? Mac Allister has made the most of it. He's gone down, right? And that's probably because if he reacts, he'll get a red card too. "So I think he's gone down there, and obviously, it's something that the official should have picked up. "But I look at that and I say that is aggressive, because again, I reiterate, if that happens off the football pitch and someone does that to you, you're going to react in a certain way, which probably be aggressive, or you're going to call HR!".
