Why Alphonse Areola was saved by the referee's whistle in a strange incident against Liverpool
Liverpool star Cody Gakpo was bizarrely denied a goal against West Ham when Alphonse Areola handed him the ball.
There was a moment of confusion LiverpoolThey drew 2-2 against West Ham on Saturday afternoon when Areola kicked the ball in in the final minutes.
Gakpo ran towards the ball, believing the game was still on, with the intention of sending it into the back of the net.
However, referee Anthony Taylor blew his whistle even though the ball appeared to be in play.
The Liverpool striker looked perplexed, but talkSPORT understands Taylor was already playing with an advantage as Areola had been fouled just before.
When the West Ham goalkeeper called for medical treatment, the referee exploded before Gakpo could reach the ball and the Hammers' lead was over.
In the previous phase of play, Areola had jumped to catch the ball when Gakpo pushed the Frenchman.
He saw Areola hit the deck and crash into the post, leaving him with a shin problem.
After Taylor blew his whistle to signal the end of the lead, he also signaled to West Ham's medical staff to come to terms with Areola's injury.
However, not everyone was convinced, with former West Ham manager Stuart Pearce fuming on talkSPORT.
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He said live while commentating on the match: “I tell you what, the referee had just made his own rules here to cover up his mistake, in my opinion.
“If I were Gakpo, I would have caught the ball and put it in the net, but as he ran towards the ball, the referee blew his whistle and stopped him from doing so.
“Areola got up and was about to continue playing, but now he has fallen saying he needs treatment, I'm not sure about that.”
With the incident occurring just minutes before full-time, it proved to be a crucial moment as Liverpool could have taken the lead.
The Reds ended up tying the match 2-2, leaving them third in the Premier League and one point behind second place. city of manchesterthat now they have two less games.
It could have effectively ended any chance of winning the title this season with three games remaining and behind the leaders. Arsenal for two points.
With Jurgen Klopp Leaving at the end of the season, this was the only trophy they had left after being knocked out of the Europa League and FA Cup.
However, they have won the Carabao Cup after winning Chelsea earlier this year in the finals, meaning they won't leave empty-handed.
