Liverpool penalty should not have stood v Brighton: Ex-Ref
A refereeing debate has followed Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Brighton after an ex-official claimed Mo Salah’s penalty should not have been awarded because of an earlier foul in the build-up.
The incident came late on at Anfield when the 33-year-old Egypt international won a spot-kick under pressure inside the box before converting to make the scoreline comfortable.
Keith Hackett, the former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, told Football Insider that Stuart Attwell missed what he believed was a foul by Salah on Brighton’s Ferdi Kadioglu just before the penalty was awarded.
“There was a push by Salah on the edge of the penalty area. That was a foul, and that should have been penalised.”
Hackett’s point was that, if the earlier contact is given as a foul, the later penalty sequence never happens, even if the foul inside the area is clear once we get there.
“That was missed, and then he was fouled when being held inside the penalty area, with the referee awarding a penalty kick.”
What was wrong with Salah’s penalty decision?
Hackett’s argument is not that Pascal Gross did not foul Salah, because even the Football Insider report notes there was “absolutely no denying” that the Brighton midfielder brought Liverpool’s winger down illegally.
Instead, the controversy claim hinges on whether Salah’s earlier contact on Kadioglu – described as a shove near the edge of the box – should have stopped play before the penalty moment arrived.
With no VAR in operation at this stage of the FA Cup, Attwell had only his on-field view and assistants to rely on, which is exactly why debates like this tend to grow once replays circulate.
Salah’s Brighton display still drove Liverpool’s win
Whatever anyone thinks about the sequence, Liverpool were already in control of the tie, and Salah’s overall contribution was one of the biggest reasons we reached the fifth round.
Arne Slot has already framed Salah’s game in wider terms than goals, praising the Egypt international’s defensive work after full-time, while Virgil van Dijk has also spoken publicly about Salah’s influence and leadership within the squad.
From a performance standpoint, the underlying numbers (via Sofascore) show why Brighton struggled to contain him, because our No.11 consistently carried the ball into dangerous areas and created chances before the penalty even became a talking point.
| Salah vs Brighton | |
|---|---|
| Minutes | 77 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Key passes | 4 |
| Shots (on target) | 5 (2) |
| Dribbles (successful) | 4 (3) |
| Was fouled | 3 |
| Penalties won | 1 |
| Sofascore rating | 8.6 |
Salah has been judged against his own outrageous standards for years, but this was the kind of complete outing that underlines why he remains central to what we do, even when outside noise tries to drag the focus elsewhere.
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