The Football Association has charged Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel with violent conduct following his clash with Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea during Sunday’s Barclays Premier League match.
Skrtel appeared to step on de Gea in the 95th minute of the match at Anfield, which Liverpool lost 2-1.
The FA said in a statement the incident was not seen by the officials, but was caught on video. The Slovakian has until 6pm on Tuesday to respond to the charge.
If found guilty, the Liverpool defender could face a three-game ban, the same punishment given to Chelsea striker Diego Costa, who was retrospectively found guilty of stamping on Liverpool’s Emre Can during a Capital One Cup clash against Liverpool in January.
A three-game ban would see Skrtel miss Liverpool’s vital Premier League trip to Arsenal on April 4, their FA Cup replay against Blackburn on April 8 and the home game against Newcastle five days later.
The Reds will already have to cope without Steven Gerrard, who was sent off less than a minute after coming on as a half-time substitute for a stamp on Ander Herrera.