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Former Liverpool and England international striker Peter Couch said it is out of place to accuse Mohamed Salah of being a diver.
Liverpool lost 1-0 to West Ham United in the Premier League last Saturday and struggled for most of the first half.
Salah went to the ground and won a penalty after contact with Arthur Masuaku’s boot in the 42nd minute, confirming the decision by VAR.
The Egyptian was heavily criticized and accused of diving by many experts, namely Liverpool legend Graeme Souness and West Ham manager David Moyes.
Salah’s coach, Jurgen Klopp, came to his player’s defense and Crouch joined him, who believes the incident was a clear penalty.
“I don’t think he dived, but Salah made sure that Kevin Friend, the referee, knew there had been contact from Arthur Masuaku, and if there is contact, then it is a penalty,” Crouch wrote in his column for the DailyMail.
“You may not like the fact that Salah went down or the fact that he took full advantage of the challenge, but the fact is, it was a foul.
“Do I think Salah would fall if he suffered such contact on the street? No. But his job is to do the best for his team and Masuaku gave him the opportunity to make the decision, “he added.
READ: Former Hammers stars join Salah’s cheating accusations
Crouch then explains how referees could improve their decision making, thus encouraging them to stay on their feet longer.
“It will be debated now but, at the end of the season, if Liverpool win the league, do you think anyone will say something about how they got three points against West Ham? No way. The only thing that will bother Liverpool is that they got them.
“Maybe things would be different if the referees started to award fouls when the players remain standing.
“By that, I mean the forwards are dragged and kicked so many times, but don’t think a referee will give them a decision unless they go down,” he concluded.
Despite their shaky performance, Liverpool remain at the top of the league standings with 16 points, two ahead of runner-up Tottenham.
The Reds will have a chance to score three victories from three games in the Champions League next Tuesday when they visit Atalanta.
They were victorious in their first encounters against Ajax and Danish FC Midtjylland.
