The Premier League has confirmed that Jeremy Doku was indeed fouled after Manchester City were awarded a controversial penalty in their match against Liverpool. City star Doc was suddenly brought down by Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamadashvili. No penalty was immediately awarded, but referee Chris Kavanagh overturned the decision after reviewing the incident.
In response to the incident, the Premier League said in a statement: “Following a review, the referee has reversed his original decision to award no penalty to Manchester City.”The referee announced: “Following a review, the goalkeeper made a foul challenge on the attacker and the final decision was a penalty.” However, BBC pundit Danny Murphy remained skeptical of the decision after a review. “We’re not getting enough communication from the keeper,” he said.
Despite the controversy, Haaland’s penalty attempt was thwarted by Mamadashvili. There were questions about whether the Georgian stayed on the line, but it appears the save was legal.
Haaland has been in great form for Manchester City this season. The 25-year-old Norwegian had previously scored 18 goals in just 14 competitive games.
Meanwhile, Mamadashvili was under pressure after a shaky start at Anfield. However, former striker Dion Dublin praised the former Valencia player’s impressive save.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he praised: “Really good save! The keeper absolutely darted out to his left and made it look so easy.”
“It was a great penalty that probably went into the side netting, but he read it. It was probably on his water bottle!”
In the end, Haaland ensured his name was on the scoresheet less than 30 minutes into the game. He marked the moment by nodding in Matheus Nunez’s superb shot and kicking the corner flag.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk saw his goal sternly canceled for suspicion of offside.
Liverpool will return to competitive action after an international break when they host Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Meanwhile, City are due to travel to Newcastle in two weeks.
