Alexis Mac Allister has aired his views on the incident which saw him denied what looked a blatant penalty at the end of Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Sunday.
Deep into stoppage time, the Argentine was caught on the chest by Jeremy Doku, and even a VAR review didn’t lead to Michael Oliver so much as being called over to the pitchside monitor for another look.
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The 25-year-old was speaking to BBC Sport after the match when he made no secret of his displeasure over the officials’ decision.
Mac Allister said: “I think it’s a clear penalty. I cannot say much more. I think the ref did a very good job throughout the game, but I think he made a mistake in the last decision.”
Liverpool’s number 10 certainly isn’t wrong in his verdict that a penalty should’ve been awarded, and there was nothing over the top about what he said, either.
Mac Allister wasn’t attacking Oliver or VAR Stuart Attwell personally, or casting doubt over their integrity, but rather voicing his belief that they made a mistake with their decision on the Doku challenge. There’s a big difference between questioning the action itself and issuing a personal criticism of the person responsible for it.
Therefore, the 25-year-old shouldn’t have to worry about facing any disciplinary charge for his comments. If anything, the PGMOL may be calling the aforementioned officials this morning and demanding an explanation from them to justify what appeared a major error at such a pivotal juncture in such a crucial fixture.
The Argentine has shown commendable restraint with his verdict on the incident, especially in the context of him being harshly sent off for a far less dangerous challenge on Ryan Christie at the start of the season, before that red card was promptly and rightly overturned.