Alexis Mac Allister stands at 174 cm (5 feet 9 inches), while Dan Burn towers at 198 cm (6 feet 6 inches) — a massive height difference that was impossible to ignore.
This has left many Liverpool fans questioning a key tactical decision during the EFL Cup final: Why was one of Liverpool’s shortest players, Mac Allister, assigned to mark Newcastle’s tallest player, Dan Burn?
Though this doesn’t take away from Burn’s well-taken header, it’s a tactical choice that has sparked serious debate and frustration among supporters.
Fans took to social media to vent their disbelief:
@LFCVine: “Alexis Mac Allister has been marking Dan Burn the whole game. Absolutely ridiculous.”
@2290minutes: “How many times is Mac going to get beaten on the same corner? That’s three now.”
@BackseatsmanLFC: “How do you watch Mac Allister lose out to Burn on every corner and not adjust anything? Terrible.”
@FuadCadani: “Dan Burn, who’s basically 7ft, running freely into the box and marked by 5ft8 Mac Allister? You’re begging to concede.”
@WilcoFtbl: “Can anyone explain why Mac Allister is the one marking Dan Burn on corners?”
@DougieCritchley: “Sort your tactics out. Experienced players should know better. You can’t have 5ft 9 Mac Allister marking Dan Burn.”
@ChelceeGrimes: “Why is the shortest guy on the pitch, Mac Allister, marking the tallest, Dan Burn?! To be fair, it was a great header but nobody even close to him.”
Meanwhile, this comes after Virgil van Dijk’s fiery pre-match speech to Liverpool teammates, which was so explicit that Sky Sports had to issue an immediate on-air apology.