Four days later, the repercussions from Liverpool’s tie with Manchester City last Saturday has continued.
The game was fantastic, with two great teams battling it out. Liverpool, led by Luis Diaz, perhaps should have won, but a point was probably enough.
Nonetheless, there was significant controversy near the end of the game, leaving Reds fans feeling unfairly treated. Jeremy Doku was quite fortunate to get away with a high, last-second challenge on Alexis MacAllister that could have easily resulted in a penalty.
The decision not to award Liverpool the game’s second penalty kick has been debated in recent days. And now, never one to back down from a strong statement, West Ham United forward Michail Antonio has given his thoughts on the event to BBC’s Players Channel.
“If he does that in the middle of the pitch its not just a penalty, it’s a yellow card,” he says. “There’s a foot in the chest. There’s nothing else to say. He did not make contact with the ball; instead, he kicked the man in the chest. It is a foul.
“It’s a stud to the breast; this is risky play. And they were jumping, so it was much higher. I truly don’t comprehend. I truly do not comprehend.”
Antonio backs Liverpool’s claim.
It’s unusual for Antonio to support Liverpool. This season, the 33-year-old has been extremely open about his emotions toward the Reds. He has never expressed a good attitude.
Antonio has even gone so far as to publicly state that he is intentionally cheering against Liverpool to win the title. So, taking that into consideration, you might conclude that it must have been horrible.
Reds fans will take this as further proof that they were deprived of the opportunity to win Sunday’s game.
Should they now lose the Premier League by a point, as they have twice before, this will be even more significant.
If they lose it to City, forget it; the agony will never go away.
We believe it was less black and white than Antonio suggests. Doku didn’t only stud Mac Allister in the chest. He turned his foot and made contact with the side of the boot rather than the bottom.
But it still seemed like a foul. It will always bother me that referee Michael Oliver was not even asked to take a second look at the monitor.
There’s only one option, Liverpool. You should go out there and make sure that this incident is forgotten in the midst of a massive title win.
