Anfield Watch
·27 April 2024
Anfield Watch
·27 April 2024
A contentious decision involving West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola in Liverpool's 2-2 draw in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off has left fans and pundits divided.
The incident, which occurred in the dying minutes of the match, saw Liverpool's Cody Gakpo bizarrely denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.
In the preceding phase, Areola had collided with Gakpo, resulting in the goalkeeper sustaining an injury as he collided with the post. However, the keeper had the ball in his hands at all times, and, as a result, the referee was seen waving to play the advantage.
CONTROVERSIAL Anthony Taylor decision explained - but not everyone is happy 5 mins ago by Daryl Finch
Mo Salah delivers shock 8-word response after PUBLIC Jurgen Klopp spat 1 hour ago by Alex Caple
Jurgen Klopp and Mo Salah ARGUE on touchline in bizarre scenes 2 hours ago by Alex Caple
The confusion unfolded as Areola rolled the ball out, seemingly with play still active. Gakpo, seizing the moment, rushed towards the ball with intent to score. However, referee Anthony Taylor intervened, blowing the whistle despite the ball appearing to be in play.
According to talkSPORT, the reason why the referee cancelled the advantage was because Areola had signalled that he needed medical treatment, thus ending the advantage.
However, Stuart Pearce was not convinced by this turn of events. The former West Ham coach, reporting on the game for the radio station, suggested that the referee had improvised to cover his error.
“I tell you what, the referee had just made his own rules up here to cover his mistake, in my opinion," he said, live on air.
“If I was Gakpo, I would have got the ball and put it in the net. But as he ran toward the ball, the referee blew his whistle and stopped him from doing it.
“Areola got up and was about to play on, but now he’s gone down saying he needs treatment - I'm not sure about that."
Pearce's sentiments echoed the sentiments of many fans, who were left puzzled by the sequence of events.
"Loved that Anthony Taylor decided to stop Gakpo from scoring for no apparent reason. Literally just stopped open play and decided to call over West Ham's medical team as he was about to score," said Viktor Fagerstrom on X.
The account @FootyTone echoed these sentiments, suggesting Taylor only blew his whistle because "he knows he has messed up".
The timing of the incident proved crucial, with Liverpool missing out on a potential winning goal just minutes before full-time.
The draw leaves Liverpool almost definitely out of the title race. They trail Arsenal and Manchester City, who both have games in hand.
Just who does Ruben Amorim think he is? Why Liverpool have DODGED a bullet 10 hours ago by Peter Staunton
Decoding Slot: Why Feyenoord coach can be PERFECT fit for Liverpool 1 day ago by Yash Shah
Arne Slot: How has potential Liverpool manager fared against elite coaches? 1 day ago by Ewan Ross-Murray