Steven Gerrard expressed frustration over two penalty decisions that went against Aston Villa in their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday. The Villa manager, making his first return to the stadium as an opposition boss, saw his side undone by a Mohamed Salah penalty after Tyrone Mings was adjudged to have fouled the Egyptian.
Gerrard argued that Salah had fouled Mings first and also felt Villa should have been awarded a spot-kick when Danny Ings went down under a challenge from Alisson Becker, followed by Trent Alexander-Arnold appearing to push Ollie Watkins. 'I thought we had a decent shout for a penalty. There was certainly contact from Alisson on Danny and, if you follow it, there is a two-hand shove on Ollie Watkins,' Gerrard said.
Despite the decisions, Gerrard acknowledged Liverpool's superiority in the penalty areas. 'Ultimately we have lost the game in the other box which we felt was a foul on Tyrone. It feels harsh but, penalty box to penalty box, Liverpool were better than us,' he added. Villa had contained Liverpool for long periods but could not prevent the Reds from extending their winning run to seven games.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp praised his side's resilience and downplayed any tension with Gerrard. 'At the end, Steven said “congratulations” and I said “thank you!” — it’s not that we really have to talk about it. Nothing will come between him and me but, in the end, we are focused,' Klopp said.
