In the 73rd and 74th minutes, Dirk Kuyt and Andy Carroll went down in the penalty area after contact with Stoke City defenders. Stoke defender Jonathan Woodgate tripped over Kuyt. Ryan Shawcross jostled Carroll to the ground seconds later. Although the Kop roared in anticipation of a spot-kick, Webb waved play on.
Just minutes earlier, Carroll fell in the area, seemingly after being held by a Stoke defender.
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis praisd Webb for ignoring the pleas of the home crowd.
“I think it was more out of desperation,” he said. Several referees might have buckled but thankfully Howard is strong and experienced enough to have not.”
Reporters quizzed Kenny Dalglish about the calls that did not go his team’s way. The LFC manager was diplomatic in his response.
“In probably every game you go through there are a couple of penalty appeals,” Dalglish said. “When they (referees) speak to people in the penalty area, I don’t know what they say but obviously it must be about holding people back and then it’s not punished — but we probably got away with a couple as well.”
Liverpool fans did not go so easy on Webb.
[View the story “Most LFC Fans Think Howard Webb Missed Three Clear Penalties” on Storify]
Review all the action from Saturday’s game in our Liverpool Live Blog.
Have a question for Marcus Kwesi O’Mard? Send it to him via Twitter at @NESNsoccer or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.
Thumbnail photo via Flickr/alecsutz9404
