Steven Gerrard and Steve McManaman were in agreement that the decision to penalise Virgil van Dijk during Liverpool's unexpected loss to PSV was justified.
Liverpool's skipper was deemed to have committed a handball by Spanish referee Alejandro Hernandez, following an in-swinging corner with only minutes on the clock. Van Dijk's hand was noticeably above his head, and he protested that he was obstructed during the set piece, leading to his hand being in an unnatural position.
However, neither the match official nor the Video Assistant Referee were convinced. Ivan Perisic confidently dispatched the penalty, sending Giorgi Mamardashvili the wrong way to give the Eredivisie team the lead after just five minutes.
The two Liverpool legends were present in the Anfield studio to dissect the crucial moments from the Reds' Champions League encounter. Both believed there could be no disputes from the home team.
McManaman commented: "Considering what we spoke about before the game. Only Virgil will be able to tell you what he thought because it looked like his left arm was being held by [Jerdy] Schouten, and his right arm shoots up.
"It's a penalty, you really can't contest it. There's only one person who'll tell us what's going through his mind at that specific mind."
Gerrard added: "I don't think there was enough in it for that kind of reaction. I think the penalty was quite clear.
"Perisic steps up with experience and puts them one in front. It was a nightmare start for Liverpool from the off."
Virgil van Dijk gave away a penalty on Wednesday
Virgil van Dijk gave away a penalty on Wednesday (Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool responded and mounted pressure on their guests before finding the equalizer. Cody Gakpo, confronting his former side, weaved inside before his strike was parried towards Dominik Szoboszlai, who was ideally placed to blast into an empty net.
It represented the perfect reply from Liverpool after going behind. The Croatian's penalty meant that Arne Slot's players have now fallen behind first in nine of their last 12 matches, with their defensive frailties persisting.
Nevertheless, the Reds discovered their tempo and pushed for a second, with Gakpo posing a threat before Hugo Ekitike and Virgil van Dijk were both denied. McManaman added at half-time: "Liverpool have responded since then, they've been excellent."
The second period turned into a catastrophe, though, with Guus Til netting just before the hour to hand the Dutch outfit an unexpected advantage.
Things deteriorated further for Liverpool when Couhaib Driouech converted from close quarters to extend PSV's lead. Driouech then claimed his brace in stoppage time to compound Liverpool's misery and secure a memorable triumph.
The humiliating reverse - Liverpool's third consecutive defeat - leaves Arne Slot's troops beyond the automatic top-8 qualification spots and intensifies the scrutiny on the Dutchman, whose position is now under question.