Gary Neville Slams Referee's Call: Why Wasn't Salah Booked for Diving Against Chelsea?

Gary Neville, a former Manchester United defender, made headlines during the match between Liverpool and Chelsea because of an unpleasant incident involving Mohamed Salah. The incident, which happened just before Liverpool took the lead, raised discussion about how fair the match’s officiating was.

The drama started When Salah found himself in the space on the left flank, trying to tackle Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, . At first, it appeared as though Colwill tried to pull Salah down. But Salah was able to get by the defender and kept running into the penalty area. Salah was pulled down just as he was about to shoot, and both the Liverpool players and supporters yelled for a penalty.

Referee John Brooks allowed play on despite the Reds’ furious pleas, indicating that he had no intention of giving a penalty for the challenge. Arne Slot, the head coach of Liverpool, was clearly upset by this decision and was given a yellow card as a result of his complaints.

Moments later, Colwill was involved again, but this time, he fouled Curtis Jones in the box. Without hesitation, the referee pointed to the penalty spot, allowing Liverpool to score from the spot. Salah scored his fifth goal of the Premier League season with a confident move up and scoring the penalty.

Not only did Salah’s successful penalty save the game, but it was also his eighth goal versus Chelsea in 22 games. But this joy was clouded by the earlier event that had drawn Neville’s criticism.

Neville was upset that Salah had not been disciplined for what he considered a dive during his broadcast on Sky Sports. Neville said, “Just watch Salah, what he tries to do is invite the contact; it’s unnatural and throws himself to the ground,”. He was convinced that Salah ought to have been given a yellow card for his behaviour and questioned why the referee did not do so. “He should be booked; why hasn’t he been booked? It’s a clear dive,” he added, insisting that Salah’s behaviour did not adhere to fair play.

Liverpool was given a penalty a few minutes later, so the attention immediately returned to the game despite Neville’s criticism. After the last incident in which Salah was not given a penalty, the Anfield audience expressed their dissatisfaction with the officials. Fans cheered for Salah, who seemed focused and driven against his old opponents, and the stadium was alive with excitement.

Liverpool fans couldn’t help but feel both excited and worried as Salah continued to play a crucial role for the team. Since it might be one of his final seasons at the club, the continued uncertainty surrounding his contract situation made his performances even more intriguing.