'Liverpool paying the refs!' - Outraged fans accuse VAR of corruption & 'handing them the title' as Cody Gakpo told he tripped HIMSELF to earn penalty against Bournemouth

Liverpool were awarded the dubious penalty after 29 minutes when pressure from Lewis Cook on Gakpo sent the Dutch forward tumbling to the floor. The English midfielder did make slight contact with the leg of Gakpo, causing the Liverpool forward to kick the back of his own leg and trip himself up. Salah converted the subsequent penalty before adding another in the 75th minute to put the game beyond doubt. However, fans are split as to whether the contact from the Bournemouth man was enough to warrant the award of the spot-kick that led to the opener.

One X user, @TheRSALad, accused the referees of corruption, saying: "How was this a penalty for Cody Gakpo clear dive??? Liverpool paying refs yet again!!!"

@Atlantic_MUFC shared the sentiment, posting: "Liverpool need some serious investigation!!! How on earth is that a penalty for Cody Gakpo? LIVARPOOL."

Everton fan Lea said: "Cody Gakpo tackles himself and wins a penalty. The Premier League and its officials are handing Liverpool this title on a big silver plate. We must continue to call out this corruption."

@PureAngles pointed to a similar incident from last season involving Arsenal. They said: "VAR overturned the penalty won by Havertz for Arsenal [against Manchester United], after being clipped. VAR doesn't overturn the penalty won by Gakpo for Liverpool, after being clipped. PGMOL Referee Corruption."

Liverpool fans were not entertaining the claims of corruption. LFC Transfer Room asked: "Do people seriously believe Cody Gakpo’s tripped himself up here? Cook didn’t even complain to the referee because he knew it was a penalty. Neither did any Bournemouth player for that matter."

Rival fans would have been hopeful that Liverpool might have dropped points away at Bournemouth. The Cherries had been in fine form, thrashing Nottingham Forest 5-0 last week and Newcastle 4-1 the week before, and posed a tricky test for the league leaders. Yet the Reds saw off any danger and moved nine points clear at the top of the table courtesy of the Salah brace before Arsenal host Manchester City tomorrow.

Liverpool host Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday as they look to overturn a 1-0 defeat in the game in north London. The Reds then travel down to Plymouth in the FA Cup before taking on Everton in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.