John Terry publicly hits out at 'shocking' incident involving Liverpool star in win over Newcastle
Chelsea legend John Terry recently expressed his shock after Liverpool were awarded a penalty for Diogo Jota's apparent dive in the box. The Reds secured a dominant 4-2 win against Newcastle United in their Premier League clash at Anfield on Monday.
Jurgen Klopp's men dominated the game and had a 3-2 lead with seven minutes remaining through goals from Mohamed Salah (49'), Curtis Jones (74'), and Cody Gakpo (78'). However, Alexander Isak's strike against the run of play in the 54th minute and Sven Botman's 81st-minute header meant that Newcastle were still in the game.
This changed in the 83rd minute when Alexis Mac Allister released Jota with a fine through ball, which dissected the Magpies' defense. The Portugal international rounded Martin Dubravka but hit the ground after he felt minimal contact to his ankle.
The on-field referee, Anthony Taylor, pointed to the spot, while VAR opted not to reverse his decision much to the Magpies' frustration. Salah dispatched his penalty three minutes later to seal all three points for Liverpool.
John Terry conveyed his dismay at VAR's decision on X, writing:
"How on earth is that a penalty? Shocking dive ! The worst thing is VAR give it ?"
Liverpool remain at the top of the Premier League table with 45 points from 20 games, three points above second-placed Aston Villa.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hails 22-year-old midfielder after Newcastle win
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp showered praise on Curtis Jones after his outstanding performance during their 4-2 win against Newcastle United on Monday.
Jones was included in the starting XI alongside Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai in midfield, which marked his 19th appearance of the season across all competitions. He repaid Klopp's faith with an excellent performance, scoring one goal, landing three of his shots on target, and creating two big chances.
The 22-year-old was also industrious in midfield with his counter-pressing, making the game easier for his team. He made 10 recoveries, won six duels, and had a pass accuracy of 91 percent.
Klopp said (via Liverpool's official website):
"Special game. Special game from Curtis, to be honest: his high press, his counter-press. We all know how good a player Curtis is, he is technically incredibly skilled, but he finds more and more direction in his dribbling, he gets better out of situations and his pressing and counter-pressing is meanwhile... he sets the level actually, how it should look. Really happy with that. He keeps every player in the game."
Jones has scored three goals and provided three assists in 19 appearances for the Reds so far this season.