Mike Dean has had his say on the penalty awarded to Liverpool during the first half of their Premier League clash against Bournemouth this afternoon.
What Mike Dean said about Liverpool penalty as Bournemouth fans make their feelings clear
Shortly before the half-hour mark at the Vitality Stadium, Darren England pointed to the spot after Cody Gakpo went to ground inside the box, with the referee deeming that the Reds winger had been clipped by Lewis Cook.
Debate immediately ensued online as to the legitimacy of the decision, with one camera angle suggesting that our number 18 had tripped himself and another appearing to show that he had been caught by the Cherries defender.
In any event, VAR saw no reason to disagree with the on-field call, and Mo Salah buried the penalty for his 20th Premier League goal of the season.
What did Mike Dean say about Liverpool penalty decision?
Speaking on Sky Sports‘ Soccer Saturday, Dean appeared to back England’s decision to point to the spot, believing that Gakpo had indeed been clipped.
The former top-flight official said (15:28): “There’s definitely a clip there.”
What Mike Dean said about Liverpool penalty as Bournemouth fans make their feelings clear
The debate rolls on as Salah atones for previous penalty miss
The home crowd at the Vitality Stadium were naturally incensed by the decision and chanted ‘1-0 to the referee’ as soon as Salah dispatched the spot kick beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Liverpool Echo reporters Paul Gorst and Ian Doyle both felt that the foul was generously awarded, and one camera angle appeared to back up that standpoint.
However, it was notable that Cook didn’t protest to England about the penalty being given, which he surely would’ve done had he felt that the referee made the wrong call.
Whatever the rights or wrongs of the decision, Salah still needed to ensure that the spot kick was scored, having missed from 12 yards in our 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth two seasons ago, but this afternoon he atoned for that costly moment in March 2023.
The Reds lead 1-0 at the time of writing, and it’d feel like a massive win if they can go on to claim all three pooints on the south coast.
