- Premier League
I held Balotelli back to stop him getting sent off, says fan
The Liverpool fan who helped hold back Mario Balotelli during his confrontation with Chris Smalling has said he did so because he was concerned the striker would get sent off.
Balotelli, already on a booking after a challenge on Manchester United's Phil Jones, collided with Smalling on the touchline during Manchester United's 2-1 win on Sunday.
The Italy international was restrained by some of the home supporters, and one of those fans, Shaun Leatherbarrow, told the Liverpool Echo: "I was worried he'd get sent off. The way I saw it Smalling sort of shoved Mario off the pitch and Mario grabbed him just to have something to grab on to.
"I could tell from Mario's body language he was ready to react and I knew he'd already had a yellow card.
"I was saying 'calm down, leave it, leave it and he was saying 'OK, OK.' I'm only 5 feet 8 and he's a big lad so I was struggling to get my arms around him.
"Peter, the lad who sits next to me at the ground, helped me and he's a police officer who sometimes works at Anfield on match days.
"Afterwards all the lads were laughing and patting me on the back as well as having a go at Smalling."
On Monday, Balotelli thanked Liverpool supporters for holding him back from confronting Smalling.
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Premier League 2020/21
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 38 | 27 | 5 | 6 | +51 | 86 |
| 2 | Man United | 38 | 21 | 11 | 6 | +29 | 74 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | +26 | 69 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | +22 | 67 |
| 5 | Leicester | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | +18 | 66 |
| 6 | West Ham | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | +15 | 65 |
| 7 | Tottenham | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | +23 | 62 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | +16 | 61 |
| 9 | Leeds | 38 | 18 | 5 | 15 | +8 | 59 |
| 10 | Everton | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | -1 | 59 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | +9 | 55 |
| 12 | Newcastle | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | -16 | 45 |
| 13 | Wolves | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | -16 | 45 |
| 14 | Crystal Pal | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | -25 | 44 |
| 15 | Southampton | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | -21 | 43 |
| 16 | Brighton | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | -6 | 41 |
| 17 | Burnley | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | -22 | 39 |
| 18 | Fulham | 38 | 5 | 13 | 20 | -26 | 28 |
| 19 | West Brom | 38 | 5 | 11 | 22 | -41 | 26 |
| 20 | Sheff United | 38 | 7 | 2 | 29 | -43 | 23 |
