Keith Hackett explains why Mohamed Salah’s penalty should have been disallowed vs Brighton
Stuart Attwell should have punished Mohamed Salah before the Liverpool star scored from the penalty spot against Brighton.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the star winger committed a foul against Ferdi Kadioglu on Saturday, 14 February.
As Salah attempted to burst into the Seagulls’ penalty area, he shoved their No.24 to the ground, tossing him aside with ease, before being brought down by Pascal Gross at Anfield.
There was absolutely no denying that the Liverpool star had been brought down illegally by Brighton‘s new signing, but Hackett could not believe that the decision was allowed to stand, despite no VAR.
Mohamed Salah avoids being punished at Anfield
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the incident, the former referee said: “There was a push by Salah on the edge of the penalty area. That was a foul, and that should have been penalised.
“That was missed, and then he was fouled when being held inside the penalty area, with the referee awarding a penalty kick. We should be discussing the foul of the edge of the area.
“It was a blatant foul, and Salah should have been penalised.”
The winger’s tumble inside the penalty area was also questionable, but after a few replays, it became clear that his ankle was clipped by Gross before he hit the deck in the 67th minute.
Arne Slot finally got the best of his star winger again vs Brighton
As well as slotting away the penalty that he won in style, he assisted Dominik Szoboszlai‘s goal, created four chances, had five total shots, completed 75 per cent of his dribbles and made four recoveries [FotMob].
He is often criticised for his lack of tracking back and defensive capabilities, but against the Seagulls, Salah won 67 per cent of his ground duels, won three fouls and was only dispossessed once.
With six goals and seven assists across all competitions, the 33-year-old still has a lot of life left in him, but compared to his previous seasons, fans are unlikely to see his former self ever again.
That will just have to be something that the supporters come to terms with. However, in a game like this, he totally came back to life, showing everyone that he is still at Anfield to fight.