“They didn’t deserve to score that" - Bournemouth star claims Mo Salah missing spot-kick was 'justice' for 'harsh' penalty decision

Mohamed Salah got the opportunity to equalize for Liverpool from the spot during their 1-0 loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday (11 March) but failed to convert. Cherries defender Adam Smith described the miss as justice and claimed that the decision to award the penalty kick was harsh.

Liverpool traveled to Bournemouth with high expectations on Saturday after putting Manchester United to the sword in their previous Premier League fixture. However, their inconsistent form cost them once again and they paid the price with a disappointing 1-0 loss at the Vitality Stadium.

Jurgen Klopp's men found themselves behind when Philip Billing opened the scoring for the hosts in the 28th minute of the encounter. Despite several attempts from the Reds, they couldn't get the ball into the opposition's net.

In the 70th minute, Mohamed Salah got a chance to rescue a point for his side. Referee John Brooks awarded the Reds a penalty after Diogo Jota’s header struck the outstretched arm of Adam Smith in the box. Unfortunately, the Egyptian couldn't convert his effort as he blasted it wide.

Reflecting on the penalty decision, Smith explained that it shouldn't have stood while adding that a couple of Liverpool players also felt the same. The right-back told BBC Radio Solent in quotes conveyed by Bournemouth Echo:

“I’ve seen it back. I mean, my arm does come up but I’m facing the wrong way. As a defender, you’re taught to jump and keep your arms up if anyone goes into the side of you. I just don’t really understand the rules to be honest. Defenders can’t jump without their arms."

“Even when I was speaking to [Jordan] Henderson and Robbo [Andrew Robertson] for Liverpool, they saw it on the big screen and they turned around to me and said, ‘That’s harsh.' Obviously, it’s a matter of opinions but yet again referees go against little old Bournemouth."

Liverpool will be eager to return to winning ways when they clash with Real Madrid for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie on Wednesday (15 March). After losing the first leg 5-2 at Anfield, Klopp's men need to produce an incredible performance in Spain to progress to the next stage.

Jurgen Klopp explains why Liverpool lost against Bournemouth

Reds head coach - Jurgen Klopp.

Speaking in his post-match interview, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp gave an explanation of why his side lost three points against Bournemouth. He said:

“It’s football, that’s it. That’s probably the best explanation. These things happen and you cannot compare games, really. To keep momentum, you have to do the basics right."

“We said last week that the result was interesting for us and the performance was interesting but we had to build on the performance and we didn’t build on the performance. We played completely different, which was not the plan obviously and that’s why we lost.”