Thanks for posting and not surprisingly you have received plaudits for a well constructed post which I congratulate you on, however I would just like to make a few salient points.
Unfortunately the ‘tale’ you have told, using the Sadio Mane challenge and subsequent media response as a cause and effect for later events in the season is based on a number of inaccuracies which break the linkage of these events you have weaved together.
Firstly you pinpoint the role of the sky commentators in perpetuating the myth it was a foul but cutely leave out the fact that Jamie Carragher was adamant at half time that is was a sending off offence as the challenge endangered a player. So hardly the biased Sky narrative you are claiming.
In addition to this your argument the printed media ‘seized upon it or at the least validated’ this injustice which led to a ‘shit storm’ which intimidated refs is without any merit.
The BBC (Phil Mcnulty), Telegraph (Sam Wallace), Independent (Mike Critchley) wrote pieces explaining exactly why it was a sending off with the Independent and BBC actually referring to the law of the game it contravened. The Guardian (Sachrin Nacrani) under a headline about Klopp stating it should not have been sending off added within in the article ‘it fell under the guidelines of a dismissal for serious foul play’. Furthermore the Daily Mail wrote an opinion piece which logged Gary Nevilles belief it was not a sending off alongside the comments of Graham Poll who stated it was a sending off.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.th...nchester-city-liverpool-jurgen-klopp-red-card
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41133350
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/liverpool-news-manchester-city-report-goals-highlights-sadio-mane-red-card-a7938631.html?amp
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.te...iverpool-premier-league-watch-live-score/amp/
So at best, in your favour, there was a range of opinions but not the ‘seizing upon or, at least, a validation of an injustice or the subsequent shit storm you claimed which influences refs over the course of a season.
Interestingly our own manager stated he was not sure it was a sending off which supports the likelihood there could be a range of opinions unless you think he may be displaying bias also?
Furthermore we have never heard a MOTD pundit urge ‘assaults’ against any of our players. Again its a blatant distortion of what was actually stated and highlights the emotive nature of your post and in addition highlights the lack of accuracy of the actual events.
The rest you state has been touched upon previously and so there is little point rehashing old stuff.