Moments you may not have spotted during Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Brighton on Sunday
Liverpool moved back to the Premier League summit with a hard-earned victory over Brighton on Sunday.
Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah scored to wipe out an early opener from Danny Welbeck as the Reds chiselled out a 2-1 victory over the Seagulls. The result means Jurgen Klopp’s men are now two points clear at the top of the table after nearest rivals Manchester City and Arsenal played out a dreadful goalless draw later in the day.
But there was plenty that went unnoticed or under the radar during the 90 minutes at Anfield.
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Coote questioned
It takes a very special referee to unite fans from both sides. Congratulations, then, to David Coote, whose interesting take on officiating baffled just about everybody inside Anfield.
His stream of questionable decision and loose grasp on the game prompted an amusing moment when the integrity of the whistle-blower was questioned first by the Kop and then seconds later by the away end.
Berating officials is usually a cheap, easy and lazy way to deflect from a poor performance. But sometimes the only real shocker is from the man in the middle. Sorry, David.
Ball furore explained
One incident involving Coote that left Anfield irate actually saw the referee proven right. As Liverpool cranked up the pressure in the second half with a succession of corners, the official sparked fury by pausing the game so balls that had dropped behind the goal could be moved out of the way.
While it seemed overly pernickety, there was good reason for the change. A new Premier League directive means there cannot be any balls within the area of the goal as it could interfere with goalline technology.
So now you know. Coote is owed a bit of an apology. Well, for that at least.
Nunez says no
One of the more unnecessary features among football crowds in recent times is the increasing number of homemade placards essentially demanding that a player’s shirt be handed over.
Darwin Nunez was the target of one such begging poster from a young fan sat in the Main Stand, who thrust his request into the air after the final whistle.
However, the striker, despite noting the appeal, instead opted to hand over his match shirt to a ball boy behind the Kop goal. To be fair, at least the poster said please. Such good manners will take the young man far in life.
