‘It is soft…’ – Former top-flight referee gives instant verdict on missed Liverpool penalty

Liverpool spurned a glorious chance to take the lead against Burnley in the first half of their Premier League clash this afternoon as Dominik Szoboszlai struck the crossbar with a penalty on the half-hour mark

Arne Slot’s side had the lion’s share of chances in the opening 30 minutes but were unable to find a way past a resolute Clarets defence before being awared a spot kick when Florentino Luis dangled a leg and made contact with Cody Gakpo.

Andy Madley pointed to the penalty spot and the Reds’ number 8 took on the responsibility, only to see his kick crash off the bar.

Mike Dean describes Liverpool penalty as ‘soft’

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean is making his customary appearance on Sky Sports‘ Soccer Saturday, and while he didn’t vehemently disagree with the decision, he felt that the awarding of the spot kick was a tad generous.

The ex-top flight whistler said: “It is soft but l can see why it has been given on-field. It won’t get overturned.”

Also in the Sky Sports studio, Michael Dawson was more vocal in his opposition to the penalty, saying: “That can’t be given as a penalty…but he does dangle his leg. It is so soft.”

Not much contact, but Madley justified in pointing to the spot

Burnley fans will argue (not entirely without justification) that the contact from Florentino on Gakpo was minimal, but it was careless from the on-loan midfielder, who gave Madley an excuse to point to the spot.

Liverpool couldn’t make the most of that piece of good fortune as Szoboszlai – in what’s been an interesting week for him, to say the least – smashed his spot kick off the crossbar.

The Reds’ frustration soon subsided, though, as a powerful Florian Wirtz strike in the 42nd minute made it four goals in six games for the red-hot German, and the champions were good value for the 1-0 lead that they took into the interval.

At the time of writing, there’s still plenty of work to be done if Slot’s team are to go on and claim their first Premier League win of 2026, but if they can continue to create a decent flurry of chances and make the most of them, they should be able to finish the job.

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