The Manchester United legend has commented on Mike Dean’s assessment of the controversial refereeing decision prior to Liverpool’s last-minute winner.
Jurgen Klopp’s side left it until the 99th minute to secure the win against Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening, with Darwin Nunez grabbing the goal.
The Uruguayan striker, who was subbed on in the second half, glanced Alexis Mac Allister’s cross home to send the away end wild.
But there was a controversial incident that led up to the goal with Paul Tierney stopping play during a Nottingham Forest attack to allow Ibrahim Konate to receive treatment for a head injury.
Despite Forest having possession of the ball, Liverpool was given it upon the restart with the goal then coming soon after, Tierney, as a result, has received major criticism with former referee Dean labelling it as a ‘monumental error’.
Speaking on his Sky Sports podcast after the Manchester Derby, Neville questioned these comments.
“I saw Mike’s (Dean) interview before the game today where he described it as a ‘monumental error’,” he said via the Liverpool Echo.
“You can’t complain about a refereeing decision that was one minute 50 before (the goal), one-minute-fifty (seconds), if it was five or 10 seconds after you’d be fuming.”
Regardless of the manner of the win, Liverpool still maintains their position at the top of the league with a titanic clash against Manchester City just around the corner.
The referring decision was incorrect. Whether or not it occurred in the first or last minute, doesn’t matter.
What DOES matter is that before the incident, Forest had possession. After the resumption, the ball was given to Liverpool – in error. Everything that happens from that moment on, is changed.
There was no complains in the first half when Forest got the ball after the game was stopped in Liverpool possession. This is so stupid.
You are correct, however, from the drop ball to the goal was 1min 50secs, so it did not have an immediate effect, AND it was the second time the ref made this mistake. Mid way through the second half Elliot had a shot on goal and it caught the forest player on the side/back of his head. When the ref finally stopped play LFC were in possession, but when he resumed play he gave a drop ball to forest’s keeper…No complaints then was there.