Curtis Jones will serve his three-match ban for the red card he received during the 2-1 defeat at Tottenham following an unsuccessful appeal from Liverpool.
Jones was shown a yellow card for his tackle on Yves Bissouma during the first half of Saturday’s clash, only for referee Simon Hooper to change his punishment to a red card after being advised by the VAR to check the pitchside monitor.
The Reds appealed the decision on Monday in a bid to see the midfielder’s three-game suspension removed, but the club have since confirmed that those attempts have failed.
It was a contentious decision from Hooper, with Jones unfortunate to follow through on Bissouma after his foot slipped over the top of the ball.
The decision to upgrade his punishment to a dismissal means the challenge was classed as serious foul play and therefore worthy of a three-game ban.
Liverpool were hopeful that the decision would be overturned, as had been the case with Alexis Mac Allister‘s red card against Bournemouth in August, but their appeal has been rejected.
The images Hooper was shown on the monitor did not follow VAR protocol and that likely acted as encouragement for the Reds to launch their appeal.
It means the 22-year-old will miss the upcoming meetings with Brighton, Everton and Nottingham Forest, with his return to domestic action set to come against Bournemouth in the League Cup.
There was a possibility that the suspension would be increased to four matches had the appeal been deemed ‘frivolous’, but that is not concluded to be the case following the review.
Jones is eligible to feature in Thursday night’s Europa League clash with Union SG, with the punishment not applying in UEFA competitions.
