Dermot Gallagher reacts to Liverpool controversy v Nottingham Forest
Liverpool were rightfully denied a penalty in their 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest, according to Dermot Gallagher.
The Reds’ lead at the summit of the Premier League was cut to four points after they drew at the City Ground on 14 January and Arsenal beat Tottenham the following day.
In the 81st minute, Mohamed Salah went down in the penalty area under contact from Nico Williams and Elliot Anderson but the referee did not deem it to be a spot kick.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, Gallagher agreed with the call, saying: “[Salah] almost goes down a blind avenue doesn’t he and I think he pushes the ball a little bit too far in front.
“At that point, he’s quite happy to go down but not a penalty. There’s nowhere for him to go.”
Should Liverpool be worried about title race?
The Reds have dropped points in four of their last seven league matches, leading to panic amongst some of the fanbase.
However, the data suggests they were unfortunate in three of those matches and should have taken all three points.
Only in the 3-3 draw against Newcastle (4 December) did the opposition better Arne Slot’s side in the expected goals (xG) metric and it was a Caoimhin Kelleher mistake that allowed the Magpies to equalise.
Against Fulham, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, the Merseysiders recorded 6.94xG compared to just 2.58 from their opponents. [Fotmob]
The Reds still have a four-point margin which could potentially rise to seven with their game in hand against Everton if they match the Gunners’ results until that contest on 12 February.
It is not panic stations just yet for Slot and his side and given the form that they have shown this season, they will be expected to get back to winning ways soon enough.
In other Liverpool news, the Luis Diaz experiment is finished after another Reds star’s performance against Forest.
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