Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has claimed that his side should have "100%" been awarded a last-minute penalty in their 1-1 Premier League draw with Manchester City at Anfield.
Both sides missed the chance to rise back to the top of the table above Arsenal on Merseyside, where Klopp and Pep Guardiola closed their titanic top-flight rivalry ahead of the former's exit at the end of the season.
Goals from John Stones and Alexis Mac Allister saw the two title chasers shake hands on a share of the spoils, but Liverpool were the dominant force in the second half and peppered Ederson - and Stefan Ortega's - goal with numerous shots.
The hosts were made to pay for their profligacy, but the Anfield crowd were apoplectic when Michael Oliver did not point to the penalty spot in the ninth minute of second-half injury time, when Jeremy Doku caught Mac Allister in the chest.
The Belgian winger did manage to get a slight touch on the ball and only made minimal contact with Mac Allister - which seemingly saved him - as VAR official Stuart Attwell confirmed Oliver's on-field decision.
Klopp spoke with the officials on the pitch at full time to discuss the incident, and talking to BBC Match of the Day, the German insisted that a foul would have "100%" been given anywhere else on the field.
"It was 100% penalty. They will find an explanation. It was 100% foul in all areas of the pitch and probably a yellow card," Klopp said.
"All the people with iPads around me were 'wow, clear'. Maybe they can hide behind the phrase it is not clear and obvious. It is of course a penalty but we didn't get it and that is fine. The most important thing for me is that we can play football like that. I saw so many sensational performances today."
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher also weighed in on the incident to Sky Sports News, admitting that Doku was lucky to escape punishment but also understanding why the VAR room did not overturn Oliver's original call.
"I think he sees Mac Allister coming in and he's almost trying to pull his foot away. I think if that's being given on the pitch, it's not being overturned," Carragher explained.
"But once it's not given, he's not gone fully through him. Klopp says anywhere else on the pitch and that's a foul. I agree with that, but there is an unwritten rule in football where a penalty has to be a bit more. When it's in the box, it has to be a little bit more. He's lucky but I can see why he's not given it."
Meanwhile, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane professed that the officials made the right decision, claiming that Doku's lack of force saved the young winger.
"Klopp makes a good point about Doku getting the ball but his foot is so high. I don't think there's any force behind it. So, I think the officials got it right," Keane added.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk conceded that the Reds' point was a "bittersweet" one, as his side moved level with Arsenal's tally of 64, but the Gunners remain in first place on goal difference.
Klopp's quadruple-chasing troops now turn their attention back to the Europa League, hosting Sparta Prague in Thursday's last-16 second leg after a 5-1 crushing in the opening encounter. body check tags ::
