Kyle Walker: Why Manchester City Star Deserved Red Card for Rasmus Hojlund Incident

• Kyle Walker was lucky to escape a red card after a confrontation with Rasmus Hojlund in the Manchester derby
• The two players clashed in the first half, with both of them getting into Anthony Taylor's book for their roles in the incident
• Hojlund later fired a savage dig at Walker after Manchester United completed a memorable turnaround at the Etihad

Kyle Walker's off-colour season continued as he captained Manchester City to another loss. Walker and his teammates succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of their cross-town rivals, Manchester United.

Bruno Fernandes cancelled Josko Gvardiol's opener in the first half from the penalty spot before Amad Diallo won the game in stoppage time.

The loss was Manchester City's eighth in 11 games, with the champions looking out of sorts under Pep Guardiola at the moment

What happened between Walker and Hojlund?

Walker dominated much of the conversation during and after the game after an infamous collision with Rasmus Hojlund. Walker tripped the Dane striker to concede a free-kick. Hojlund reacted angrily, going face to face with the England international, who fell down clutching his face.

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The incident threatened to generate into a massive brawl as referee Anthony Taylor cautioned both players. However, if football rules are anything to go, Walker could have been sent off on another day.

Why Kyle Walker should have seen red

Replays show that there was minimal to no contact from Hojlund, which meant that Walker going down was pure simulation, which is frowned upon in Law 12 under unsporting behaviour.

"A player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour if he attempts to deceive the referee e.g. by feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled (simulation)."

The argument herein was that if Walker received a yellow card for fouling Hojlund, he should have gotten a second yellow card for attempting to deceive the referee.

Has a player ever received yellow cards in the same phase of play?

Though rare, it is not unheard of for players to be booked twice and sent off in the same phase of play. Referee Michael Oliver has twice sent off players after booking them in the same phase of play.

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Exactly a year ago, Oliver sent off Diogo Dalot during Manchester United's game against Liverpool at Anfield. The Portuguese fullback received two yellow cards 10 seconds apart after incessantly complaining about the same decision.

Hojlund's savage message to Walker

Legit.ng has reported that Hojlund fired shots at Walker with a savage poem on Instagram after the game.

The former Atalanta forward sent the message to the Manchester City captain after their confrontation in the Manchester derby.

Source: TUKO.co.ke