Two former referees in agreement on late Liverpool penalty claim vs Man City

Former English football referees Mark Clattenberg and Keith Hackett were in complete agreement that Liverpool should have been award a late penalty against Manchester City on Sunday. 

The Reds felt incredibly hard done by at Anfield during their 1-1 draw with the Cityzens when Alexis Mac Allister wasn't awarded a 98th-minute spot kick following Jeremy Doku's challenge.

Despite getting a slight touch on the ball, Doku ended up studding Liverpool's Argentine in the chest as he attempted to play the ball inside the penalty area - a decision that almost certainly would have been given anywhere else on the pitch.

Michael Oliver decided against awarding the Reds a penalty in late stoppage-time, with VAR also choosing not to send the referee to the monitor to take another look at the incident.

Jurgen Klopp was rightly furious after the game, stating: "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."

Klopp was not alone in his assessment of the controversial moment, with former Premier League referee Clattenberg agreeing that the Reds were denied a clear penalty.

Writing for the Daily Mail, Clattenberg said: "Liverpool should have been awarded a stoppage-time penalty against Manchester City but this is the problem in the Premier League right now – referees are making mistakes in matches and not being helped by their VARs.

"The ball bounces up. Alexis Mac Allister moves towards it. Jeremy Doku’s foot is high. He catches Mac Allister in the chest.

"Outside of the box, this would have resulted in a free-kick, every day of the week. Just because it happened inside the box does not suddenly transform it into a clean challenge when Mac Allister might be left playing connect the dots on his chest on Monday morning."

Ex-referee Hackett also believed that Liverpool should have had a spot kick, responding to Klopp's interview regarding the penalty on X: "This is a clear penalty and yellow card."

It could prove a decisive moment in the title race come the end of the season, with Liverpool missing out on the chance to go four points clear of Man City at the death.

Added to major errors from referees and VAR during clashes with Arsenal and Tottenham earlier this season, it seems Liverpool have been punished by the incompetence of the officials once again.