Kyle Walker has heaped praise on Michael Oliver’s decision not to award Liverpool with a last-minute penalty in their clash with Man City.
The Premier League affair was level at 1-1 and deep into added time when Jeremy Doku clashed with Alexis Mac Allister in the area as he went to clear the ball.
The winger got some of the ball but his boot was raised very high and made contact with the Argentinian, who went down in a heap inside the box.
While some disagreed, Walker has now come forward to suggest that Oliver ‘did really, really well’ in the circumstances.
Kyle Walker heaped praise on Michael Oliver’s decision not to award Liverpool with a last-minute penalty in their clash with Man City
Alexis Mac Allister insisted that he felt Jeremy Doku’s late challenge was a ‘clear penalty’
Walker said referee Michael Oliver ‘could have crumbled’ amid the pressure at Anfield
Speaking to Sky Sports, Walker said: ‘My view is the referee and VAR made a decision. I feel the ref [Michael Oliver] did really, really well.
‘I feel once you have Anfield and the crowd behind them, he could’ve crumbled, but that shows his experience, character, and that’s why he’s regarded as one of the best referees in this country and the world.’
However, there were many who disagreed with Walker’s take, such as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp who fumed at the decision.
Klopp was unsurprisingly unimpressed with Oliver and made his feelings clear as he made his way over to the official at the full-time whistle.
After the match, the German said: ‘It was 100 per cent penalty. They will find an explanation. It was 100 per cent foul in all areas of the pitch and probably a yellow card.
‘All the people with iPads around me were ‘wow, clear’. Maybe they can hide behind the phrase it is not clear and obvious.
‘It is of course a penalty but we didn’t get it and that is fine. The most important thing for me is that we can play football like that’.
Mac Allister was adamant that his side should’ve been awarded a penalty for the incident
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister agreed with Klopp’s takes, as he argued that the Reds deserved more than a point following the match.
‘We wanted more and I think we deserved much more than a point,’ Mac Allister said of his side’s performance at Anfield.
‘I think the performance was very good, second half was amazing so very proud in that sense, but gutted that we didn’t get the three points.’
But when asked whether he felt he should have been given a penalty late on, he responded: ‘You think it’s just me?
‘I think it’s a clear penalty, I cannot say much more I think the referee did a good job throughout the game but I think he made a mistake in the last decision.’
