21 October 2023 , 13:30
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A number of fans vented their frustrations on social media after technical issues with the new TNT Sports app disrupted coverage of Saturday's Merseyside derby.
Liverpool hosted Everton in the afternoon's early kick-off, which aired live on the broadcaster formerly known as BT Sport. The channel's rebrand, which occurred over the summer, has been relatively well received, but the implementation of a new app led to chaos during the game.
Hordes of fans faced issues using the TNT Discovery App after the old BT Sport app was closed down. Fans reported a wide range of issues including buffering, numerous crashes and, in some cases, a complete lack of coverage.
One fan posted on social media: "Discovery + app is useless, crashed 4 times in the first half," while another said: "Anyone else finding the Discovery+ app (which you have to use since BT Sport became TNT) a pile of constantly buffering c***?"
Another user went one further by calling TNT Sports and Discovery+ to amend the issue after charging fans for a product that doesn't work. They said: "Discovery+ and TNT sports. Sort your app and streams out. You’re charging for something that mainly doesn’t work!!!!"
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While fans were left to voice their frustrations online, there was controversy on the pitch too when Ashley Young was sent off towards the end of a fairly uneventful first half. The decision divided opinions online and Rio Ferdinand, who was covering the match for TNT Sports, felt the dismissal was harsh.
Join the debate! Did you experience issues with the new TNT Sports app? Let us know here.
Ashley Young was sent off during the derby (PA)Speaking in reaction to the decision, Ferdinand said: “That’s one, I don’t think that’s a yellow, the first one. That one you can say is definitely a yellow card.
“Ashley, to be fair to him, he sees the ball there and I know as a defender you don’t want anyone to get past you - it’s ego, it’s pride - but sometimes you’ve just got to give up the ghost and say, ‘You know what, I’ve got to let him go there and hope my covering centre-backs cover me in the next phase’.”
Ally McCoist, who was also covering the match, added: “Diaz, very clever, puts his foot there knowing he’s going to get kicked. It’s clever forward play, but I still think it’s harsh. Look at the two incidents, maybe someone will tell you it’s two yellow cards, but I think [the referee] needs to cut him a little bit of slack there, I really do.”
Liverpool were later handed a dubious penalty as Michael Keane was penalised for a handball in the box. Mohamed Salah duly converted the resultant spot kick before sealing the win with his second goal in added time.