Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp faced the media ahead of his side’s Champions League trip to Atalanta.
The Reds are back on track after a difficult start to the season. Liverpool are top of the Premier League and look on the right path to top their Champions League group as well.
They were tested hard by West Ham on Saturday but the Reds showed real determination to come from behind and get the win. However, David Moyes and many Hammers fans were not pleased with an incident that occurred in the first half.
Arthur Masuaku caught Mohamed Salah in the box and the Egyptian went to ground in dramatic fashion. Moyes claimed the Liverpool man ‘throws himself to the ground’ (Liverpool Echo) while ex-PGMOL boss Keith Hackett labelled the incident as a ‘dive’ (Read here).
Other pundits have also had a go at Salah for his exaggerated reaction. But Klopp has dismissed the criticism and has claimed the decision to award a penalty was the right one.
Klopp: Salah didn’t dive
He told the Liverpool Echo: “No, what can I say? It was a foul. It was for pretty much everyone who saw it. Believe it or not, I spoke to Mo yesterday morning how he feels and he said he has three knocks and one was from the penalty situation, believe it or not.
“We don’t talk much about penalties we don’t get yet two days later we are talking still about one we did. I don’t get the criticism, no.”
Masuaku certainly made contact with Salah’s ankle, and the Liverpool man had every right to go down. However, the way he went to ground made it seem like a dive, and West Ham fans were clearly not happy.
Liverpool won the game and Klopp couldn’t care less about the criticism levied on his star attacker. The Liverpool boss will be hoping that Salah’s knock isn’t too serious ahead of this weekend’s massive game against Manchester City in the Premier League.
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