Liverpool appeal against Curtis Jones red card rejected

Liverpool have announced that an appeal against Curtis Jones's red card in Saturday's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur was unsuccessful.

The Englishman was made to take the walk of shame early doors in that Premier League contest, having caught Yves Bissouma with his studs in a crunching challenge.

Both men stuck their feet in for a 50-50 contest, and while Jones managed to connect with the ball, the 22-year-old's foot rolled onto Bissouma's upper ankle.

Referee Simon Hooper initially only deemed the tackle worthy of a booking, but having been instructed to look at the pitchside monitor, the official upgraded Jones's punishment to a straight red.

Jones's immediate sending-off would see him miss upcoming clashes with Brighton & Hove Albion, Everton and Nottingham Forest, but Liverpool decided to appeal against the decision earlier this week.

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The Reds have already been successful with one appeal this term, as Alexis Mac Allister's red card and subsequent three-game ban for a tackle on Bournemouth's Ryan Christie was eventually overturned.

However, Jones's punishment has been upheld, meaning that Liverpool will have to make do without the midfielder for their next three domestic contests, and he will be joined on the naughty step by Diogo Jota.

The Portuguese attacker - a half-time replacement for the injured Cody Gakpo - was booked twice in quick succession for two challenges on Destiny Udogie and will also sit out Sunday's trip to the Amex.

"Curtis Jones is set to serve a three-match Premier League suspension after an appeal to overturn the red card he received at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday was unsuccessful," Liverpool said in a statement.

"The midfielder was initially shown a yellow card for a challenge on Yves Bissouma in the 26th minute of the fixture at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, that was upgraded to a straight red following VAR intervention.

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"Jones will now not be eligible for the Reds' encounters with Brighton & Hove Albion, Everton and Nottingham Forest this month. Meanwhile, Diogo Jota will also serve a one-match suspension following his sending off for two yellow cards, ruling him out of Sunday's trip to the American Express Community Stadium."

Despite only fielding nine men for the final 25 minutes, Liverpool held out valiantly at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before a last-gasp Joel Matip own goal condemned Jurgen Klopp's side to their first loss of the season.

Not long after Jones's red card, though, Luis Diaz had a perfectly good goal ruled out for offside, as the linesman raised his flag before VAR officials Darren England and Dan Cook failed to overturn the decision.

The PGMOL admitted that a "significant human error" had been made in that moment, and audio footage of the officials' conversations was released by the refereeing body on Tuesday evening.

Liverpool are now gearing up for Thursday's Europa League group-stage clash with Union SG, where Jones and Jota will both be available before they begin their domestic bans.