Ex-Man City manager accuses referee of 'making up own rules' to stop Liverpool goal v West Ham

Former Manchester City and Nottingham Forest defender Stuart Pearce accused referee Anthony Taylor of ‘making up his own rules’ to prevent Liverpool from scoring a late goal against West Ham on Saturday afternoon.

With the game poised at 2-2 after goals from Jarrod Bowen, Andy Robertson, Michail Antonio and an own-goal from Alphonse Areola, Liverpool were searching for a winning goal to keep their faint Premier League title hopes alive.

Late in the game, Areola went to ground after catching the ball under pressure from Gakpo. Taylor appeared to wave play on with Areola rolling the ball in front of him and fixing his socks - indicating that he believed he was taking a free-kick.

However, the ball was still live but as Gakpo sprinted forward to score into the empty net, Taylor blew the whistle to halt play and then call for treatment for Areola. The decision left many bemused with Pearce hitting out at the referee.

He said on talkSPORT: “I tell you what, the referee had just made his own rules up here to cover his mistake, in my opinion. If I was Gakpo I would have got the ball and put it in the net, but as he ran toward the ball the referee blew his whistle and stopped him from doing it. Areola got up and was about to play on, but now he’s gone down saying he needs treatment - I'm not sure about that."

Speaking on Sky Sports, Ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has criticised Anthony Taylor for creating 'a mess' over the incident. He said: "It's a mess that could have been avoided very easily. Areola grabs the ball - I think he collides with the post. Anthony Taylor, for whatever reason, signals advantage. "But when he goes back upfield, Areola throws the ball to the ground. Gakpo closes in, the referee sees it, blows up and decides the goalkeeper needs treatment. It just looks messy, it could have been avoided and I think if you blow the whistle, keep it safe, keep it simple. You could have said the goalkeeper needs treatment at that point and it would all go away. "He's dug himself out well by spotting that Gakpo's closing in and the player needs treatment, but one wonders if it had gone in the net, the stakes are ramped up so much higher then. He originally decided he didn't need treatment. That's where he makes the mistake - he turns his back on the ball. For that period, you're not in control of the situation.

"Once you whistle, you're in control of the situation and you can say to the keeper, 'I'm getting the physio on to look at your foot', and restart with a drop-ball, it all goes away."