Southampton manager Ivan Juric was left angered by the decision to award Liverpool their first penalty
Will Smallbone was adjudged to have fouled Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.
Will Smallbone was adjudged to have fouled Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has disagreed with Southampton manager Ivan Juric after he was left fuming by Liverpool's penalty. The Saints suffered a 3-1 defeat as they remain at the foot of the Premier League table following the Reds' comeback win on Saturday.
The Croatian was left outraged by the decision to award the Reds' first penalty on Saturday after Darwin Nunez went down under the challenge of Will Smallbone in the box. The Uruguayan appeared to nip in before the Southampton midfielder before the attempted clearance caught the attacker.
Mohamed Salah stepped up and handed Arne Slot's side the lead after Nunez equalised shortly after the restart. The Egyptian stepped up in the dying embers to rubber-stamp the three points which moved Liverpool 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League - which was reduced to 15 after Arsenal laboured to a point at strugglers Manchester United.
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Following the match, Juric was outraged by the decision. He slammed: "I am a little bit. I think the first penalty was not a penalty and that changed the match.
"This cannot be a penalty ever. The contact was too soft to be a penalty in England. I'm sorry it happened because it was 1-1 and it changed the match a little bit. We have lots of young players who want to grow up and improve."
But Gallagher has disagreed with Juric, describing Smallbone's attempt as "clumsy". He said: "I think it's a penalty. When you make a challenge like that, you have to get the ball and he doesn't. It's clumsy. He catches the man."