The Carra tackle: it's only James Lawton, the Republik of Mancunia and Rafael that go Over the Top

Look, as a Liverpool fan let me be very clear: by the standards of most referees in most games this season, that would be a red card. I would have had no complaints had Carragher got a red for it. It was reckless, no doubt.

But one of the worst fouls in recent memory? Please. It was late and high - halfway up his shin. But Carragher didn't go airborne and unlike Rooney's elbow, there was no malice.

Watch the incident again.

Nani first touch is with Carragher two yards away. Nani has his weight on his right foot and controls it with his left.

Nani's first touch is uncharacteristically poor. The ball bobbles, bouncing about a foot in the air. Carragher is a yard away from Nani with the ball a foot off the ground.

Nani then shifts his weight to his left foot, and controls the bobbling ball with the inside of his right leg.

By this stage Carragher has his right leg extended stretching for the ball, at the same height as the ball and about a foot away from it. But Nani's touch off his right has moves the ball from Carragher's right to left.

Carragher misses the ball completely - without going over the top of the ball per se - and extends into Nani's standing left leg.

Clumsy? Yes. Reckless? Yes. Malicious or intentional? No. One of the worst in recent memory? Hardly.

It wasn't even the worst tackle in the game! But more on Rafael's tackle in a bit.

Without Nani's poor initial touch, the bobbling ball and the subsequent deft touch from Nani, Carragher probably gets the ball or no tackle eventuates. If Nani doesn't shift his weight to his left leg, his injury probably doesn't eventuate. Neither point excuses Carragher's reckless tackle, but they do underline that a fair degree of misfortune is at play in both the offence and the outcome.

And it is a bad tackle with a terrible outcome for Nani. But referees have to punish the offence divorced from the outcome. That's what the laws of football require. Besides, to do otherwise just creates stronger incentives for playacting in the aftermath of a foul.

There also needs to be some recognition it is a derby match. Derbies are still governed by the laws of football, by some latitude is appropriate in the most passionate of contests.

Lawton also distinguishes the Carragher tackle as worse than Rafael's effort moments later, citing that Rafael's feet were low, and that Lucas emerged unscathed.

But unlike Carra, Rafael made himself a missile by going in two footed. He went in with intent from five yards away. He went in over the top of the ball and his left foot was somewhere north of Lucas' knee height. The only reason he didn't cripple Lucas is Lucas saw him coming. Rafael deserves no credit for that.

Rafael's tackle was far, far worse than Carragher's, albeit that misfortune meant Carragher's led to a far worse outcome.

Again, it's up to referees to punish the offence divorced from the outcome of the offence. The case for dismissing Carragher was far less than that for sending Rafael on his way.

But try you try finding a scrap of logic or reason among the hystericals and the paranoids.