Arsenal vs Liverpool 'dissent' comparison video calls referee John Brooks' performance into question

Liverpool fans have called out the double standards of referee John Brooks when it came to punishing "dissent" against Arsenal.

Liverpool won the FA Cup third round 2-0 following a Jakub Kiwior own goal and an emphatic strike from Luis Diaz in the 95th minute.

But while the Reds are in the hat for the fourth round draw, fans were not best pleased with referee John Brooks.

While there was no major controversy, supporters felt that the man in the middle did not do a good job of remaining consistent in terms of punishing dissent.

In the first half, midfielder Jorginho was furious with the official and appeared to tell him to "F*** off!" in an angry outburst.

Image: Getty

However, he was not punished and a yellow card was not shown.

Brooks again adopted a lenient approach with Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard, who threw his arms out and shouted on two different occasions yet avoided a caution.

But earlier on, Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott was furious with a decision which saw him penalised for a foul on Jorginho.

His reaction resulted in a booking but one supporter put together clips of all the carbon copy incidents to highlight the double standards.

As expected, the decision to book Elliott but not Jorginho and Odegaard led to plenty of reaction online.

Image: Getty

One user on Reddit said: "I think if he books Jorginho first instance the rest of them don't happen. You just need to stamp your authority first time."

A second stated: "The worst thing is the ref clearly acknowledged the dissent because he gave Jorginho a talking to."

A third weighed in: "It’s why it’ll never really work this clampdown on dissent. They don’t have the bottle to be harsh enough and consistent enough."

Another weighed in, writing: "All of those should have been yellows under the current rules. Dalot did far less than Odegaard and was sent off for it."

Finally, a rival supporter commented: "United fan here, and even I couldn't believe Elliot was carded after Jorginho and Odegaard weren't."

Liverpool are back in action on Wednesday for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham while Arsenal's next game is against Crystal Palace on 20 January.

Topics: Arsenal, Harvey Elliott, Jorginho, Liverpool, Martin Odegaard, Fan Reactions

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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