Dermot Gallagher says one Liverpool player took a ‘massive risk’ during win over Tottenham

Dermot Gallagher said that one Liverpool player took a ‘massive risk’ during the second half of the 4-2 win over Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday.

The visitors had clawed back half of a four-goal deficit by the time that Joe Gomez flicked the ball out for a corner but, in doing so, made contact with the head of Brennan Johnson inside the penalty area. The incident was checked by VAR but no foul was given against the 26-year-old.

The former Premier League referee gave his two cents on the incident on Sky Sports‘ Ref Watch on Monday morning, and he agreed with the on-field decision while acknowleding that the Reds defender’s gamble was ultimately justified.

Gallagher said: “[It’s] difficult to give a penalty when a player clearly gets the ball first, but massive risk making a challenge like this. If he makes contact with the player before the ball, it’s certainly going to be a penalty, because of how high his boot’s going to be.

“Without doubt he does get the ball, so I think on that occasion, he will probably say it’s great defending. Massive risk, but a risk that was worth taking in the end, because it wasn’t a foul to give [away] a penalty.”

We think this is a fair assessment from Gallagher – Gomez was playing the ball and duly got it, but he certainly left himself open to conceding a penalty when his foot was so high and (albeit accidentally) clipped Johnson’s head.

On another day, that decision could easily have gone against Liverpool, and had a spot kick been given and scored to make it 4-3, Anfield would’ve been an incredibly nervy place for the final few minutes of the match yesterday.

Thankfully, Paul Tierney – who’s been a lightning rod for controversy in previous clashes between these two teams – didn’t deem it worthy of an intervention, and it was the only semi-contentious talking point from a match where the players rather than the officials dominated the headlines.

For Gallagher as an impartial observer to say that it wasn’t a foul by Gomez was telling, even if we acknowledge that the 26-year-old indeed took a risk by raising his foot in such close proximity to Johnson.