Gary Neville's assertion that Sadio Mane's controversial sending off had opened a can of worms for referees was proved correct on Sunday afternoon as Matt Ritchie escaped a red card for an almost identical challenge.

Mane was shown a straight red after his high boot struck Ederson in the face during Liverpool's 5-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad.

Gary Neville, who was commentating on the match for Sky Sports, was adamant the challenge did not warrant a red card.

After the game he tweeted that the incident would create future confusion for referees trying to apply the letter of the law consistently around high-footed challenges.