Crystal Palace manager fumes at Liverpool penalty award – and felt Eagles deprived of own spot-kick
BY RICHARD CAWLEY
Roy Hodgson was left fuming at Liverpool’s penalty in tonight’s 2-0 defeat – and reckons he would never want to win a spot-kick in the same way as Crystal Palace boss.
Mohamed Salah went down under a challenge from Mamadou Sakho and James Milner converted the penalty.
Sadio Mane added a second goal in the closing stages.
But Hodgson also felt his side were denied a clear spot-kick of their own.
Asked about Liverpool’s opening goal just before half-time, the former England head coach said: “It’s not a penalty. I’ve been in football a long time – if that’s a penalty then the game has changed beyond recognition. He [Sakho] is trying to defend. There’s no way he’s looking to foul the player or get contact on the player at all.
“If people can’t see that then I’ll be the pariah who only sees what he wants to see and all you out there will see something different – I’ll take that.
“But I don’t want penalties for my team in that way. If you ask me one day was it a penalty and I say ‘well, there might have been a slight touch….’ If I don’t say those situations are not penalties – both for and against – I will be very disappointed in myself and you’re quite right to pick me up on it.
“I think it is a penalty when Max Meyer gets brought down by [Virgil] van Dijk – he is about to get a touch on the ball. Sometimes refereeing decisions go against us. It is cause for frustration and anger but if you ask me about the team performance, I thought it was very, very good.”
IMAGE BY KEITH GILLARD
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