Sky Sports pundit Neil Mellor has claimed that the referee should have awarded Liverpool a penalty in their most recent defeat.
The Reds’ slow start to the season, which sees them currently down in eighth in the league, took another hit on the weekend as they suffered a frustrating loss on the road.
Indeed, Jurgen Klopp’s side travelled to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League but a single goal from Taiwo Awoniyi was enough to see the home team pick up all three points in a 1-0 win.
However, in the eyes of Mellor, Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty for a ‘rugby tackle’ from Ryan Yates on Alisson Becker late on in the game when the goalkeeper came up for a corner.
He shared some images on Twitter, and explained: “Was Alisson denied the chance to score by a rugby tackle from Forest man Ryan Yates as he followed up the massive chance for VVD [Virgil van Dijk] in added on time? Looked like a foul, but the ref gave the free-kick to Forest.”
TIF thoughts on the challenge and Liverpool…
Yates certainly is grappling with the Brazilian and so the NFFC man was taking a bit of a risk. While it may have been a little sort, that sort of challenge has been punished before.
Most recently, for instance, Chelsea were awarded a penalty against Manchester United when midfielder Scott McTominay used a similar technique to try and defend a corner.
Still, in the Arsenal draw with Southampton this weekend, Gabriel Jesus was also grabbed by defender Duje Caleta-Car but no foul was given on that occasion, so it’s hard to know what is fair and what is not.
In the end, though, Liverpool were not handed anything and so they had to settle for a disappointing loss on the road.
Do you think it should have been a penalty?
Yes
No
