Alexis Mac Allister & Diogo Jota incredulous reactions to Man City penalty decision

Alexis Mac Allister was left baffled by the decision not to award Liverpool a stoppage-time penalty during the 1-1 draw with Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

The Reds went behind to a John Stones goal in the first-half of the potentially crucial showdown in the Premier League title race. However, things were levelled up in the second half when Mac Allister netted the resulting penalty after Darwin Nuñez was clumsily brought down by City keeper Ederson on 50 minutes.

Liverpool, so often the masters of comebacks this season, produced a stellar second 45 in front of the home crowd and came close to taking the lead on numerous occasions.

However, the biggest talking point came deep into stoppage time, just moments before the final whistle, when Mac Allister was caught in the chest by Jeremy Doku's (very) high boot inside the City penalty area.

The incident looked about as clear cut as you can get to most fans, pundits... and even glasses company Specsavers. However, referee Michael Oliver deemed the incident no foul, while a VAR check from Stuart Attwell didn't result in the on-pitch official going to take another look on the monitor.

Speaking after the game, Jurgen Klopp was clearly frustrated and called out the decision, saying: "He [Doku] hit the ball but he can only hit the ball because his foot was right there. If the ball is not there, he kills him [Mac Allister]. It’s as easy as that. It’s a penalty for all football people on the planet."

Meanwhile, two former Premier League referees in Mark Clattenburg and Keith Hackett have since insisted that Liverpool should have been given a second penalty.

Given the potential importance of the fixture in the title race and the Reds' previous VAR injustices this season, the decision carries an extra sting.

'You think it's just me?'

The man whose chest was on the receiving end of Doku's high foot, Mac Allister, told BBC Sport that the correct decision was 'clear'.

“Me? Just me? You think it’s just me?!” he said, when it was suggested that he would think it was a penalty.

“I think it’s a clear penalty, I cannot say much more.

“I think the ref did a very good job throughout the game, but I think he made a mistake in the last decision.”

Mac Allister's teammate, Diogo Jota — not involved in the match due to injury — took to social media to give his own reaction.

The Portuguese forward simply posted a series of smiling emojis with sweat beads — a message that didn't need much decoding in context.

Another Liverpool connected man who was left feeling aggreived by the decision was former Red Danny Murphy.

Analysing the game and its incidents on Match of the Day 2, the former midfielder turned pundit said: “It’s a penalty for me because so many times this season we’ve seen things like that outside the box and players have had red cards, yellow cards when they follow through.

“I know he got a bit of the ball, he did, but his foot is so high and there is a follow through.”

Liverpool, now in second place following the weekend's result, don't return to Premier League action until 31 March, with upcoming matches against Sparta Prague (14 March) and Manchester United (17 March) in the Europa League and FA Cup followed by the international break.