Manchester City captain Kyle Walker has commended referee Michael Oliver for maintaining composure amid the intense atmosphere at Anfield during their Premier League clash.
However, Walker stopped short of explicitly affirming the correctness of the decision as controversy surrounded a potential late penalty for Liverpool.
The 1-1 draw concluded in dramatic fashion when, in the eighth minute of injury time, City’s substitute Jeremy Doku seemingly made contact with Alexis Mac Allister through a high boot challenge.
Despite fervent appeals from Liverpool, referee Oliver waved away the penalty shouts. VAR Stuart Attwell supported the on-field decision after a brief review.
Kyle Walker praised the officiating team, especially singling out Michael Oliver for not succumbing to external pressures, yet refrained from definitively stating whether the decision was correct or not.
“My view is the referee and VAR have made a decision,” he said. “I feel the ref reffed it really, really well.
“I feel once you have the Anfield crowd behind them (Liverpool), he could have crumbled.
“That shows his experience and that shows his character, and that’s why he’s regarded as one of the best referees in the country and the world at the minute.
“Listen, it’s probably not up to me to say if I do think it’s a pen. If I say it’s not a pen, then it’s headlines and if I say it is a pen, then it’s headlines.
“The VAR has checked it, the ref has done it, and that’s all I’m going to say on it.”
“You go there and you want to win,” added Kyle Walker, speaking to Sky Sports.
“It says a lot about the dressing room that we are disappointed with a draw at Anfield. Probably with the goal where we gave it them, that is a little bit disappointing.
“But for the spectacle of the Premier League, as a game of football over 100 minutes it was fantastic. It was a great advert, two massive teams going at it toe-to-toe.
“We could have gone on and nicked it when Jeremy hit the post and Phil (Foden) had the one-on-one, but they’ve also had really good chances as well in the second half.”
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