MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 10:15:57| >> :60:743:743:

Robertson: No need to question Salah over penalties

Robertson: No need to question Salah over penalties
© Reuters
Liverpool full-back says striker is not a diver.

Andy Robertson believes opponents are clutching at straws attempting to brand Mohamed Salah as a diver.

Egypt hitman Salah converted the penalty he won for himself to steal Liverpool a 1-0 win at Brighton on Saturday, reaffirming the Reds' Premier League lead.

Brighton's players and fans reacted angrily to Salah winning the penalty under Pascal Gross' heavy challenge, but Robertson has mounted a strong defence of his Anfield team-mate.

Asked if any of the rough treatment dished out to Salah bothered Liverpool, Scotland full-back Robertson replied: "None of it apart from the diving, he's not that type of player.

"Every time it happens then we go back and everyone looks at the video and you go, 'well, it's not a dive' so how many times is it going to happen?

"I'm not sure if the Brighton players did say it was a dive or not and I'll need to see it back but I was at the edge of the box and for me it was a stone-waller.

"If people are starting to say Mo has gone down easily it's not fair because the one against Arsenal, especially, he got clipped three times on his way down and they still appealed it so it's a bit of desperation.

"I've not seen this Brighton one back but it's a no-brainer really for the referee."

Andy Robertson File Photo
Andy Robertson, pictured, has backed Mohamed Salah (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Liverpool's 2-1 loss at City proved their first of a stunning Premier League campaign, and prompted an FA Cup loss at Wolves.

Klopp's men shut down that wobble with their workmanlike win at Brighton though, leaving Robertson hopeful the victory will grow in significance as the weeks pass.

"We hope we are here to stay; that's the main objective, keep winning the games and keep on top because that's where we are right now," said Robertson.

"But if things do start going wrong we need to get back on track quickly. I wouldn't say it went wrong at the Etihad but it was our first defeat and it was good to follow that up with a win.

"The two Brighton games have been massive for us because we have not been at our best.

"When we played them at home we weren't at our best and they probably had a few more chances and we won 1-0.

"And then on Saturday we did the exact same.

"It's that winning mentality. Whoever wins the league will look back on some games and go 'do you know what, we probably weren't at our best there, and that was probably one that helped us turn one point into three or zero into one'.

"So there will be games over the season and whoever does that will probably have three or four games to look back on and if we manage to do it, I'm sure we'll look back on this game as one of them."

Robertson also revealed he will be kept on his toes just as much at home as at the club, with a new arrival in his family.

"We've had a wee girl, all healthy, we've called her Aria but I'll give my wife all credit for that," he added.

"It's a great thing welcoming another child into our lives and it's a big thing for us."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Nick Purewal, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'c83340c4-fe76-4e6d-8574-e293a90d3c18');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Robertson: No need to question Salah over penalties'});

ID:346760: cacheID:346760:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7649:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Jurgen Klopp gets frustrated as Liverpool struggle against Brighton & Hove Albion on January 12, 2019.
Read Next:
Jurgen Klopp hails 'mature' Liverpool after bounce-back victory
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!