By Keith Hackett

5th Apr, 2023 | 12:49pm

Ex-Premier League referee: Liverpool star Cody Gakpo should land retrospective punishment as 'awful' footage analysed

Keith Hackett has claimed Liverpool star Cody Gakpo should face “retrospective action” for his “awful” act of simulation against Man City on Saturday (1 April).

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee claimed the only way to stamp out diving is to add a “true punishment”.

As seen on BBC’s Match of the Day (08:50, 1 April), Gakpo, 23, went down under challenge from Man City’s Nathan Ake with Liverpool trailing 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

In the replay, the January signing appeared to manufacture the contact by leaving his leg in as he nicked the ball past Ake.

Referee Simon Hooper waved away the appeals from Gakpo and VAR chose not to intervene – but the winger was not booked for simulation.

Minutes later, Man City’s Jack Grealish added a fourth goal to add the gloss to a comprehensive victory – which helped Pep Guardiola’s side keep pace with league leaders Arsenal.

Hackett told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “It’s awful. He should have been cautioned.

“He wasn’t trying to avoid a challenge which might have injured him, it was an act of simulation.

“The referee isn’t in the ideal position, he’s got an area of doubt – so the answer for diving offences like this is retrospective action.

“If you’re going to stop diving, the only way to do it is to add a true punishment.”

Liverpool sit eighth and are now seven points adrift of the Premier League’s top four.

Man City trail Arsenal by eight points in the title race – but have a game in hand on the Gunners.

In other news, Liverpool keen on Ibrahim Sangare as summer price tag revealed.