Liverpool were fortunate to be awarded winning penalty against Girona, Rio Ferdinand suggests – as Steve McManaman claims he would be ‘DISTRAUGHT’ if decision was given against him
- Liverpool beat Girona 1-0, with Mohamed Salah’s penalty making the difference
- However, the foul on Luis Diaz was controversial, with pundits questioning the call
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Rio Ferdinand and Steve McManaman have suggested Liverpool may have been lucky to score their winning goal against Girona.
The Reds almost qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday evening as they maintained their perfect record in the competition and took their tally to six wins from six games.
In what was a bit of an end-to-end match, Arne Slot’s side had a 1-0 win against the LaLiga side, with Mohamed Salah’s penalty being the difference between the two teams.
Liverpool were not at their best but still created plenty of chances, although the manner in which their winning goal was achieved is open to debate.
Luis Diaz went down under a challenge from Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek, but fell when the Dutchman appeared to step on his ankle. Still, the referee pointed to the spot after a VAR check.
After the match, Ferdinand and McManaman, who previously played for Liverpool, gave their verdict on the call, with the latter issuing a relatively damning assessment.
Liverpool were lucky to be awarded the winning penalty against Girona, it is claimed
Luis Diaz was brought down by former Manchester United midfielder Donny van De Beek
Mohamed Salah scored the penalty, taking his total to 16 goals for the current season
While Rio Ferdinand (left) had no doubt Salah would score, Steve McManaman (right) said he would have been ‘distraught’ if the call had been given against him.
“I didn’t think it was a penalty,” McManaman told TNT Sports. ‘He is standing on his heels, but no one is appealing.
‘Just like in Europe, VAR is starting to get involved. It was a sloppy decision. I would be desperate.
‘You expect the midfielders to close, that’s a shame. It’s a contact game and you see more on corners, so I don’t think it was a penalty.’
Salah did his best to score his final goal for Liverpool – taking his total to 116 this season – and it proved enough for victory that night.
The returning Alisson made five saves in Liverpool’s goal, but the win will almost certainly see the Reds avoid the play-offs in the next round of the competition.
Slot can now make substitutions for the remainder of the competition’s group stage, with two games – against Lille and PSV – to go.
“There was no doubt he would score,” Rio Ferdinand added of Salah. ‘He didn’t get the ball.
‘But I don’t think it was intentional and clumsy is the best word. He gave the referee a chance.’