“Why Liverpool’s Six Substitutions Won’t Lead to Premier League Punishment”

“Why Liverpool Will Escape Premier League Sanctions After Making Six Substitutions in One Game”

Why Liverpool Won’t Be Punished by the Premier League Despite Making Six Substitutions

Rio Ferdinand Clarifies: No Points Deduction for Liverpool

Liverpool will avoid Premier League punishment even though they made six substitutions during their 3-1 win over Southampton.

After a disappointing first half that ended with a goal from Will Smallbone, Arne Slot made bold moves at halftime, bringing on Alexis Mac Allister, Andy Robertson, and Harvey Elliott. The trio sparked an immediate turnaround — Darwin Núñez quickly leveled the score, and Mohamed Salah converted a penalty to put Liverpool ahead. Salah later added a second penalty to seal the victory. By then, Diogo Jota and Wataru Endo had also come off the bench, taking the total number of substitutes to six.

Late in the match, Mohamed Salah looked visibly frustrated when he realized that Jarrell Quansah was being readied to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold. Despite Salah’s objections, Arne Slot proceeded with the substitution, bringing Quansah on for the final 90 seconds.

But Slot knew exactly what he was doing. Premier League rules permit a sixth substitution if an opposing player is taken off due to a concussion. Since Southampton’s Jan Bednarek had to leave the field in the 19th minute following a head injury, Liverpool were entitled to make an extra change.

Although Salah seemed unaware of the rule, Liverpool’s coaching staff were fully informed. This isn’t the first time the concussion substitution rule has been applied in the Premier League this season—Tottenham used it on the opening weekend against Leicester when Rodrigo Bentancur sustained a head injury.

Despite sparking some debate, concussion substitutions have been an official part of Premier League regulations since February 2021, allowing teams an additional change when a player is forced off due to a head injury.