Diogo Jota has hit back at Alan Shearer after the all-time Premier League top goalscorer labelled his successful attempt to win a penalty against Newcastle United as “f***ing embarrassing”.
The Liverpool forward was roundly criticised for going to ground under minimal contact from Martin Dubravka late in a New Year’s Day clash with Newcastle United at Anfield, giving Mohamed Salah the chance to score from the penalty spot – which he duly took – instead of tapping into an empty net himself.
Following the incident, one of Jota’s biggest critics was Newcastle legend Shearer, who took to X (Twitter) to tweet “f***ing embarrassing” in relation to the incident, before elaborating on his sentiments in an episode of The Rest Is Football:
“Yeah, he f***ing dived. Pretty simple. That is as clear a dive you will ever see,” said Shearer. “There was a tiny bit of contact, but he could have just stayed on his feet and tapped it in.”
Speaking to the press, Jota has now responded to Shearer’s comments, insisting that he did not dive: “Listen, of course I saw some comments from ex-players and people who are paid to talk about situations,” he said.
“The only thing I can say is even the keeper said it was a touch and I didn’t feel the conditions to stay up. So that’s it.
“Would I rather put the ball in the net than see Mo take a penalty? Yes, of course. That’s what I like to do – to score goals. That’s all I have to say.”
Jota was once again in stunning form for Liverpool on Sunday, earning himself a 9/10 in 90min’s player ratings thanks to his star turn in a thumping 4-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League at the Vitality Stadium.
