"The referee has got it right" - Roy Keane says referee made correct call during crucial moment in Liverpool's FA Cup tie
Former midfielder Roy Keane believes referee Craig Pawson made the right decision not to award Nottingham Forest a penalty against Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Nottingham Forest did well to hold Liverpool on for more than 77 minutes before Diogo Jota scored the goal that took the Reds into the semifinals of the competition.
There was an incident in the game where Nottingham striker Ryan Yates was through on goal and only had Alisson Becker to beat.
๐๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ #EmiratesFACup ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ-๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ ๐ https://t.co/rJ9pSnCw4n
The forward rounded off the Brazilian but could not finish. Alisson spread himself well, and Yates had the chance to go down but didn't as there wasn't a substantial touch from Alisson.
Keane explained that a more seasoned player would have played the situation smartly and gone down to win a penalty. However, he lauded Yates for his honesty.
"The referee has got it right. It was a brilliant pass and an absolutely fantastic touch, but I think the problem with Yates is that he is too honest and not smart enough.
"He should really try and go into the goalkeeper more because he is thinking, 'I want to score' and we can't criticise him for that, but he has got to go into the 'keeper and we probably see a more experienced player do that and I think the referee has got it right.
"It is frustrating because he is so honest and trying to stay on his feet but he needed to be smarter there."
Liverpool will have to beat Manchester City to keep their quadruple hopes alive
Liverpool picked up a slender 1-0 win against Nottingham Forest and will next face Manchester City in the semifinals of the FA Cup.
The Reds will face the Sky Blues twice in the span of a week in April. The first encounter will be in the Premier League at the Etihad on April 10 and the second in the FA Cup at Wembley on April 16.
We will face Manchester City in the #EmiratesFACup semi-final at Wembley. https://t.co/PdKYZRynIP
Manchester City have been the Merseyside outfit's closest rivals for nearly five years now. April's meetings could once again dictate who emerges with more silverware come the end of the season.
The Reds will need to beat Pep Guardiola's side twice to keep their hopes of a quadruple alive.