Liverpool news: Ex-Premier League referee swipes at Roy Hodgson after controversial claim
Keith Hackett has suggested Roy Hodgson does not understand refereeing after his verdict on the penalty awarded to Liverpool in their 2-0 win over Watford on Saturday (2 April).
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee insisted officials are not influenced by the reactions of players.
Despite little protestation, Liverpool were awarded a spot-kick when Juraj Kucka brought down Diogo Jota in the closing stages, as shown on the BBC’s Match of the Day programme.
Referee Stuart Attwell missed the incident but overturned his original decision when reviewing the footage on the pitchside monitor.
The Watford manager, 74, told BT Sport after the game that VAR should have not intervened because there was no appeal and Jurgen Klopp did not even know what was being checked.
“I think Roy Hodgson needs to see this again,” Hackett told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“What has who appeals got to do with the decision making of a referee?
“I would have thought that a manager of his experience would have taken his defeat gracefully and walked away with a defeat but he didn’t.
“Players aren’t going to influence referees with what they say. If he thinks that then he doesn’t know too much about refereeing.
“It was absolutely spot-on decision, no question.”
The loss leaves Watford third from bottom, two points from safety but Everton have two games in hand.
They still have relegation rivals Everton, Burnley, Brentford and Leeds United to play before the end of the season.
In other news, Kieran Maguire has revealed the two things FSG do ‘spectacularly’ amid a Liverpool transfer claim.