Jamie Redknapp disagrees with Jermain Defoe on Liverpool penalty incident vs Wolves
The decision to award Liverpool a first-half penalty against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday has divided opinion.
Four days on from the controversial Merseyside derby when Michael Oliver handed out four post-match red cards, referee Simon Hooper was hoping for a calm afternoon at Anfield this weekend. That didn't quite go to plan with Wolves frustrated by several incidents during the game, with the visitors incensed that breakaway attacks kept being snuffed out by Liverpool fouls.
Matt Doherty and Emmanuel Agbadou were booked for their complaints to Hooper in the first half. The referee further infuriated Wolves by awarding a penalty to Liverpool when Jose Sa felled Luis Diaz in the box in the 37th minute.
READ MORE: Luis Diaz had perfect response after Jamie Carragher named him as weak link in Liverpool's team
READ MORE: Premier League issues statement after Diogo Jota penalty incident overturned in Liverpool vs. Wolves
That moment wasn't controversial - Sa clearly swiped at the Liverpool forward inside the box - but Wolves were disappointed that a foul wasn't given against Diaz just seconds before. The Colombian did give Agbadou a slight shove in the back as he went to win the ball, but the force behind that push - and whether it warranted a free-kick - was the source of debate even among the Sky Sports pundits.
'I personally think he gives enough of a nudge for it to be a free-kick,' claimed ex-Red Jamie Redknapp. 'But then he [Sa] just makes a mess of it. Diaz has been really sharp in the first half, keeper comes out, does he foul him? Yeah, absolutely, it's definitely a penalty.'
Former Premier League striker Jermain Defoe had a different perspective. 'I think it's clever, you have to make contact, and if you can nudge the defender a little bit to try and get an advantage, I like that,' he opined.
Redknapp replied: 'I would say Agbadou's got to do better still, still have enough time to get something on it. It's a poor piece of defending, he was so good up until that point.'
It wasn't the only controversial penalty decision at Anfield, with Hooper pointing to the spot in the second half after Agbadou went sliding in on Diogo Jota in the box. The Wolves defender did fly in and put Jota off his stride, but replays showed there was minimal contact. Hooper was then called over to the pitchside monitor and opted to reverse his decision.
'VAR checked the referee's call of penalty to Liverpool for a challenge by Agbadou on Jota and deemed any contact was not initiated by Agbadou, therefore recommended an on-field review. The referee overturned the original decision and play restarted with a drop ball,' the Premier League explained via it's Match Centre account on X.
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