02 January 2024 , 14:50
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Newcastle star Anthony Gordon was embarrassingly caught urging Martin Dubravka to dive the wrong way as Mohamed Salah stepped up to score the penalty which secured Liverpool's win over the Magpies.
The visitors were 3-2 down at Anfield when Diogo Jota won a controversial spot-kick with four minutes remaining. As Salah then started his run up to take the kick, Gordon could be seen pointing to his right in a tip to Dubravka about which way to dive. The keeper followed the instructions of his team-mate, but Salah fired into the opposite corner to seal the three points for the Reds.
That was Salah's second attempt at a penalty in the game, with Dubravka saving an earlier spot-kick from the attacker in the first-half. The decision to award the second penalty drew an angry response from Newcastle boss Eddie Howe.
"A lot happened. Action packed game. We're disapointed with the way we defended. I didn't think the second one was a penalty. And I did think Sean Longstaff's one before that was," he told Sky Sports.
"It shouldn't be given. Martin has pulled his hand away. He's had two steps before going down. For me it's not a penalty. Even the first one the contact was so minimal. We feel hard done by.
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Anthony Gordon directed Martin Dubravka to dive the wrong way for Mohamed Salah's second penalty (Sky Sports)"You have to have the mindset that you create your luck. Feeling sorry for yourself never has any positive outcome. The players gave everything. I back the quality of the group. In time we'll get the results we need."
Howe's sentiment was shared by Magpies legend Alan Shearer, who insisted Jota had conned the referee. He tweeted: "What a great dive that is", alongside two laughing face emojis.
Arsenal icon Ian Wright also added his confusion at why Jota had decided to go to ground looking for a penalty when he had an open goal gaping. Wright said: "Would rather go down for a penalty than put the ball in an empty net! Seen it all!"
Shearer then launched a scathing blast of Jota, quote-tweeting Wright's post by writing: "F****** embarrassing". Despite the controversy, Salah insisted he had no problem with stepping up to take a second penalty.
"I'm calm. I always practice. The first one I was confused because the goalkeeper moved. The second one I did like I do in training. The one I missed the penalty with, I just trained with yesterday," he told Sky Sports.
"It's not superstition, but I wanted to change them. I just changed them and made my mind calm. It's a great result for us. The game was very intense and we managed to pick up three points and now we are top of the table. We need to stay calm and win every game."