Liverpool news: Mohamed Salah dived to win penalty against Newcastle, says former top referee Keith Hackett

Liverpool news: Mohamed Salah dived to win penalty against Newcastle, says former top referee Keith Hackett
Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has accused Liverpool star Mohamed Salah of diving to win a penalty during the Reds win over Newcastle on Boxing Day.He says people are forgetting football is a contact sport and has blasted the slipping standards of current officials.4

Salah has been accused of going to ground too easily against Newcastle

Liverpool went six points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a thumping 4-0 victory at Anfield, as title rivals Manchester City lost to Leicester.But there was controversy against the Magpies when Salah went down in the box under a challenge from Paul Dummett.The Magpies defender tugged on Salahs arm as he ran past him in the penalty area, with the Egyptian going to ground and the referee pointing to the spot.4

Salah went to ground after feeling contact from Paul Dummett

Salah converted to score the Reds second goal, but some outraged fans were calling for the Liverpool star to be hit with a retrospective ban for simulation after the incident.

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On Thursday morning, Sports Breakfast hosts Alan Brazil and Dean Saunders both agreed that there was enough contact to correctly award a penalty.But former man in black Hackett disagreed, and said people and some referees, it appears are forgetting that football is a contact sport.He told talkSPORT: No, it wasnt a penalty for me.What really concerns me is the inconsistency that we see from referees on incidents inside the penalty area.We see defenders grabbing, hauling, tugging and grappling and we see that go unpunished week-in, week-out.4

Salah stepped up to slam home the resulting spot kick

Were talking about a contract sport and theres no way Im going to buy it.Its easy to give a penalty kick at Anfield and yes there is contact, but if I was in the middle I would want to be 100 per cent certain that Im giving the home team a penalty kick that is worthy of one, and it would have to be a little bit more than what I saw yesterday.I can remember Sam Allardyce talking to me and saying, If theres contact my player is going to be instructed to go down, and I think thats the nature of the game now.4

Sam Allardyce apparently told his players to look for a penalty if they felt contact

You two [former strikers Alan and Dean] would have continued to play and head for the ball, but the modern game is different if theres a touch, theyre going to ground.Theres a huge debate around it, about if its worthy of a penalty kick, but its a contact sport.When we get a penalty kick like this we all question the referees decision because its soft. Well its either a penalty or its not and for me its not enough, its really not enough.

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