Referee Stuart Attwell admitted that he shouldn't have awarded Liverpool a penalty against Fulham at Anfield on Wednesday evening, according to Tom Cairney.
The Reds clocked up a fifth successive victory with a narrow 1-0 result against Marco Silva's side, as Mohamed Salah's 39th minute spot-kick proved to be be the difference in an edgy encounter.
Jürgen Klopp's side were handed the goal-scoring opportunity from 12 yards when Darwin Núñez was adjudged to have been brought down in the box by Issa Diop.
READ MORE: Liverpool must pay $63m to secure transfer as Xabi Alonso now ‘serious contender’ for Spurs job
READ MORE: Next four Liverpool fixtures compared to Newcastle and Man Utd give real Champions League hope
But according to Cottagers midfielder Cairney, referee Attwell later admitted to one of the captain's Fulham teammates that the decision should not have stood.
Speaking to Fulham's official website, Cairney said: “I thought we played very well at times, but to lose to a penalty that wasn’t a penalty is always a kick in the you-know-whats.
"At the time, I wasn’t sure [if it was a penalty]. The ref made a decision, I thought he’d seen contact. I asked him on the pitch, ‘please just make sure they check it.’ He said they checked it, but he said second half to one of our players that it wasn’t a penalty, so it’s frustrating because it goes to other people to make the correct decision.
"Issa Diop hasn’t touched him, Núñez has taken another step and then gone over, and then you lose to something like that at Anfield which is frustrating when we’re trying to climb as high as we can.”
If you enjoyed this piece, you'll love our Liverpool.com newsletter — every weekday, we send exclusive, bonus content only to people signed up for our mailing list!
Our newsletter subscribers get a rundown Monday to Friday from one of the best Liverpool FC writers — straight to your inbox, and completely for free.
Wherever you are in the world — in the US, the UK or further afield — you don't want to miss out.
Sign up to the Liverpool.com newsletter here — it only takes a few seconds!
Liverpool had to rely on goalkeeper Alisson Becker to ensure that its slender advantage remained intact, with the Brazilian twice denying Carlos Vinícius.
Television replays show defender Diop attempting to clear the ball upfield before Núñez nips the ball off his toe, going to ground as a result of his opponent's follow-through.
But in a season of controversial VAR moments, calls are likely to mount to allow referees to review their own critical on-field decisions even if the officials based on Stockley Park are not inclined to overturn the initial decision themselves.
There may be a resistance from English football's law-makers to sanction such a move however, given the likely effect it would have on additional breaks in normal play, something football purists have been keen to avoid.
Liverpool.com says: This particular decision went in Liverpool's favour, but on another day it could be the Reds who are on the receiving end of a contentious call. Claims from Fulham that Stuart Attwell admitted he had made a mistake suggest that the referee had taken another look at the incident at half-time. There is an argument to be made that referees should be given the option to review their own marginal calls at the VAR monitor, other than simply to confirm recommended overturns for errors judged to be 'obvious', but thankfully that will have no baring on Wednesday night's win for Liverpool.
