Expert: Liverpool star Salah given special treatment by referees after footage emerges
Referees are watching out for Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah as he “goes down easily in the box”.
That is the view of former Premier League goalkeeper Paul Robinson, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the decisive penalty awarded to the 29-year-old in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
As relayed by Sky Sports, referee Stuart Attwell adjudged Tyrone Mings to have fouled Salah just after the hour mark and the Egyptian converted from the spot.
Speaking to Sky Sports (11 December), Villa manager Steven Gerrard said the decision was “harsh” and that his side were “hard done by” at Anfield.
Gerrard felt Salah fouled Mings and was “disappointed” VAR did not ask Stuart Attwell to review the incident.
When asked by Football Insider for his assessment of the penalty, Robinson said: “I think it was a soft penalty.
“Salah does go down easily in the box. He has a reputation for doing that though so referees watch out for it.
“A referee knows exactly the type of characters he has on the field. If Salah has a reputation for going down easily he would not given a penalty unless he was 100 per cent certain.
“I think [Andy] Robertson was unlucky not to get a penalty, to be honest with you. I thought it was a really good shout.
“The problem is, it is all about opinion. That is the beauty of football, there is always something to talk about. VAR has been brought in to reduce the errors but at the end of the day it is a game of opinions.”
In other news, Kieran Maguire has claimed Liverpool can seal a ‘bargain’ deal for Salah as a £150million windfall is expected.