By support

10th Dec, 2017 | 6:05pm

Carragher delivers emphatic verdict on Everton penalty decision v Liverpool

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has backed referee Craig Pawson’s decision to award Everton a penalty in Merseyside derby.

The Toffees were awarded a controversial spot-kick on 76 minutes, which was scored by captain Wayne Rooney, as the two teams played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at Anfield in the Premier League.

Centre-back Dejan Lovren pushed Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin inside the box and referee Pawson showed little hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Liverpool fans were furious with the decision and with Lovren’s choice to make the challenge on Calvert-Lewin, who appeared to be going away from goal.

However, former Reds defender and Sky Sports pundit Carragher thought it was the correct call and described the incident as a “100% pen”.

Liverpool took the lead in the derby on 42 minutes through a spectacular effort by Mohamed Salah, who cut inside onto his left foot and curled the ball into the top corner.

Sadio Mane then missed a perfect chance to make it 2-0 just before half-time as the Reds broke away at pace, but the 25-year-old dragged his effort disappointingly wide.

The home side continued to dominate possession and created more chances in the second half but they were unable to put the game to bed.

Everton were then awarded a penalty after the clumsy challenge by Lovren and Rooney smashed the ball straight down the middle to give the Toffees a share of the points.

In other Liverpool news, this is how Reds fans reacted to Lovren’s performance on social media.

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