Liverpool: Martin Skrtel will escape 'media witch hunt' that befell Diego Costa says Pat Nevin

Chelsea's bitterness towards Sky Sports has continued after former winger and chief website columnist Pat Nevin said the corporation will not direct the same "media witch hunt" at Liverpool's Martin Skrtel that they launched against striker Diego Costa.

Skrtel has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association after television cameras caught the Slovakian defender allegedly stamping on Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea during the closing minutes of the 2-1 defeat at Anfield.

The Liverpool centre-back has until 26 March to confirm his plea to a charge, which, if found guilty, carries a three-match ban and would see him miss the games against Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup and Newcastle United.

The incident is similar to the one that saw Costa banned for three games after a stamp on Emre Can during the League Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool in January, an episode followed by accusations by manager Jose Mourinho that a campaign was being led by certain television pundits.

Mourinho has since accused identified Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness, both former Liverpool players, of leading that media campaign, which appears to have influenced referees, supporters and fellow members of the press.

Chelsea's digital channels have reignited those accusations with a series of online posts, first in response to criticism of their players surrounding referee Bjorn Kuipers during the Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain and the lack of penalties awarded to them this season.

And now Nevin, a former Blues wideman who played for the club between 1983 and 1988, has continued the attack on Sky and its coverage of Chelsea while commenting on the fate expected to befall Skrtel.

"The certainty that Skrtel must get a three-match ban will draw the line under their massive outside chance of posing a late title threat," he wrote on Chelsea's official website. "Diego Costa got three games for an alleged stamp.

"If anything, Skrtel's was much worse so surely he must get a ban, even if the extraordinary media witch hunt against Diego, particularly on Sky, is unlikely to be repeated on the Reds' centre-back."