"There was no clear and obvious error" - Mark Clattenburg claims Liverpool should have had two goals disallowed against Crystal Palace

Liverpool's 3-1 triumph over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday was marred by refereeing controversies, with a couple of decisions going in the Reds' favor. Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg gave his opinion on two of the most talked-about episodes of the encounter.

The Englishman initially argued that Liverpool's second goal should've been disallowed due to Roberto Firmino's attempt to meet Andy Robertson's cross from an offside position.

He wrote in the Daily Mail:

"Crystal Palace have every right to be peeved that Liverpool’s second goal was allowed to stand. When Andy Robertson played the ball into the box, Roberto Firmino was clearly in an offside position. Firmino jumped and made a clear attempt to meet the cross.

"If he hadn’t been there, Palace left back Tyrick Mitchell would have headed clear, so the Liverpool striker was interfering with play. Consequently the ball reached Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored. VAR should have intervened."

Mark Clattenburg also passed his verdict on Liverpool's third goal, which came from the spot after the Reds were awarded a controversial penalty in the 88th minute.

Officiating referee Kevin Friend initially refused to award a spot-kick when Diogo Jota went down in the box but VAR intervened and the Reds were eventually awarded a penalty. Mark Clattenburg believes Friend should've held firm to his 'no penalty' stance. He wrote:

"Kevin Friend should have stood by his decision of ‘no penalty’. Once Diogo Jota had pushed the ball past Vicente Guaita, he moved towards the keeper and caused a collision.

"I do not understand why VAR Craig Pawson got involved. There was no clear and obvious error from Friend. The referee saw the incident and did not blow for a foul.

"After being sent to his pitch-side monitor, it was a shame Friend did not back himself and decide his original call was correct."

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Where Liverpool and Crystal Palace rank in the Premier League right now

An intense encounter between the two clubs

As it stands, the Reds occupy second position in the Premier League table with 48 points in 22 games. Jurgen Klopp's men have won 14, drawn six and lost two games in the English top flight so far. They have conceded 19 goals and scored 58 - the most by any team in the league so far.

The Merseysiders are unbeaten in 10 of their last 11 Premier League games. Their only loss came in the form of a 1-0 loss at the hands of Leicester City in late December.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, rank 13th in the table at the moment, with 24 points in 22 games. The Eagles have won just five games in the division so far, drawing nine and losing eight. They have won just once in their last six league games, losing thrice in that span.

Liverpool will play Cardiff City in the FA Cup on February 6 while Palace will play Hartlepool United in the same competition a day sooner.