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Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has supported the decision to grant Liverpool a vital stoppage-time penalty against Burnley. The Reds were handed the opportunity to secure victory from the spot in the fifth minute of injury time, which Mohamed Salah duly converted.
The dramatic late winner ensured Arne Slot's side maintained their flawless winning streak in the Premier League this campaign, despite falling short of their peak performance levels. It also guaranteed Liverpool's continued position at the summit of the table.
After the match, Burnley manager Scott Parker offered a candid evaluation of the penalty decision, which came following a handball by Hannibal Mejbri.
"It's probably a penalty, the learning from it for us is that we probably need to train defenders to put their arms behind their back," he said.
Referee Michael Oliver's judgement also received Gallagher's endorsement.
Speaking on Sky Sports' Ref Watch, he said: "Definitely a penalty. He moves into the ball. His face showed exactly that he knew what he did."
Pundit Jay Bothroyd shared the same view, saying: "Definitely a penalty. Hannibal should know better. No ifs or buts. There was no aggrievement from the Burnley players."
The spot-kick wasn't the sole significant officiating call during the encounter, as Burnley was left with 10 players in the 84th minute when Lesley Ugochukwu received a second yellow card for fouling Florian Wirtz. Gallagher, however, supported the referee's decision, stating: "Why make a challenge like this? This will always be a second yellow card!
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"That's what the rules are. Sometimes the referees have to do what they don't like."
Bothroyd, on the other hand, disagreed. "I don't think he should be sent off for that. If that was his first challenge, then yes, it's a yellow card," he countered.
"But a second yellow? It's not enough. Wirtz has just come across his legs.
"I don't think that's a yellow card offence, in my opinion. I think that's really soft. Sometimes I want to see common sense."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
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