Fulham manager Marco Silva was left frustrated as “no one” saw a “clear foul” on Bobby De Cordova-Reid before Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s winner for Liverpool.
Alexander-Arnold was the hero at Anfield, as he fired in the Reds’ fourth goal to turn around a 3-2 deficit and earn three points over Fulham.
It was a huge moment for Liverpool, but one Silva insists should not have stood.
Speaking ahead of Fulham‘s clash with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, the manager claimed that there was a “clear foul” on Reid before the ball fell to Alexander-Arnold.
“Today, until now, nobody asked me about the fourth goal of Liverpool,” he told reporters.
“I understand that it is Liverpool and Fulham, I understand all the situations, but it speaks of the business of this football as well.
“I didn’t mention, I didn’t want to talk about this situation, but it should be the same. No one asked me.
“The fourth of Liverpool is clear foul on Bobby Reid and no one speaks, probably because the game is Sunday and [the next game] after is Wednesday, it’s probably too quick.
“If it was the opposite, for sure there would have been a conversation here about the situation and questions for me.”
Scenes indeed, @TrentAA ??? pic.twitter.com/7ztLTYu5PO
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 3, 2023
The challenge in question saw Kostas Tsimikas contend for the ball with Reid when Darwin Nunez hooked the rebound back across the box after Cody Gakpo‘s shot.
Reid won the header and Tsimikas ended up barging the forward over in the box, with the clearance falling directly to Alexander-Arnold, who touched it down and finished.
There is certainly cause to argue that the Liverpool left-back felled Reid unfairly, though whether it would have been called back is questionable.
“For me, it is not a VAR call. It’s a mistake from the referee in that moment,” Silva continued.
“It’s a clear foul, but as we all know the protocol says it has to be a ‘clear and obvious’ mistake from the referee.
“It is a mistake from the referee, clear foul on Bobby, [but] really that is a difficult call for VAR to turn that decision from the referee’s.
“I said to him at the end of the match what was my feeling, that it was a clear foul on Bobby Reid.
“He told me he didn’t see it that way.”
Asked if there was an element of ‘big club bias’ in effect, he replied: “I think yes, but it’s normal in football.
“At the end of the season I hope there is the right balance between all the teams.”
