Clattenburg disagrees with Dean and slams VAR after Liverpool denied penalty

11 March 2024 , 08:16

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Liverpool thought they were deserving of a penalty for Jeremy Doku's challenge (Image: Getty Images)

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has admitted Liverpool should have been awarded a last-gasp penalty during their 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Saturday.

Liverpool were incensed after Alexis Mac Allister went down inside the box in the 98th minute. The Argentine appeared to be caught in the chest by Jeremy Doku, who got some of the ball but followed through into Mac Allister as the Reds midfielder went down clutching his upper body.

Referee Michael Oliver waved away appeals and VAR official Stuart Atwell did not overturn the decision for a clear and obvious error. Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool were robbed of a stonewall penalty, while Mike Dean explained why the officiating team may have decided it wasn't a spot kick.

Dean told Sky Sports: "I think he's touched the ball Doku but with the follow through he's caught him right in the chest. I think it could be a penalty. It's a massive decision by the VAR. Tiny touch on the ball, but the follow through has caught him on the ribcage.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Stuart sent him to the screen. Check's complete. Obviously played the ball first and the follow through same as I'm guessing a normal coming together. He's very, very fortunate in my opinion there Doku."

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Now, Clattenburg, who was appointed as a referees' consultant at Nottingham Forest last month, has weighed in with his opinion. The 48-year-old is insistent that the Reds were unfortunate not to be given a spot-kick and has since slammed VAR and the officials for not spotting the mistake.

Speaking in his Daily Mail column, Clattenburg 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."

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Jeremy Doku's challenge on Alexis Mac Allister (Getty Images)

He added: "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.

"Regardless of the magnitude of the match and the fact it happened in the 98th minute, this was an incident worthy of a penalty."

Clattenburg also highlighted the frustration that despite Oliver not giving the penalty, Atwell didn't even suggest the referee to look at his pitch-side monitor.

He continued: "This is where the frustration lies – we have seen similar incidents this weekend where Stockley Park should have told their colleagues on the ground that they had missed a penalty or a red card but didn't."

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Kieran King