'115 charges loading' - Fans rage at Kyle Walker after Man City star praises referee Michael Oliver and defends decision not to award Liverpool a penalty

The two Premier League titans came head-to-head in a fiercely contested battle that went to the wire on Sunday evening, with goals from John Stones and Alexis Mac Allister setting up a tense finale. It was Liverpool that pushed for a winner and they appeared to have done enough to win a penalty in the last minute. However, Jeremy Doku's high challenge on Mac Allister was somehow deemed a fair challenge by referee Oliver, leading to natural uproar from the Reds fanbase.

And those supporters have been angered again after City defender Walker doubled down on praise for the match official in a recent interview, lauding Oliver for not "crumbling" under the Anfield pressure.

Asked by Sky Sports for his thoughts on the late decision that went in City's favour, Walker said: "My view is the referee and the VAR have made a decision on what it is. I feel that the ref reffed it really, really well, I feel once you have Anfield and the crowd behind him, he [Oliver] could've crumbled. But that shows his experience and his character, and is why he's regarded as probably one of the best referees in this country and in the world at the minute."

Pressed on whether he thought it should've been a penalty, the full-back added: "Listen, it's probably not up [to] me to say if I do think it's a pen, if I say it's not a pen [there'd be] headlines, if I say it is a pen then [there'd be] headlines. So the VAR's checked it, the ref's done it, that's all I'm going to say on that."

After such frank comments about a questionable performance from Oliver - who also allowed Stones' goal to stand despite Nathan Ake potentially affecting play from an offside position - Liverpool supporters haven't held back in their abuse at Walker.

X user @Khaya_LFC labelled it a "weird interview" and trolled Walker for getting "cooked by [Luis] Diaz" in said match. Another user, @LFC92, pointed out the Oliver did cave to the pressure, writing that "he literally crumbled and made the incorrect decision". Another more brutal comment pointed towards Walker's infidelity allegations, with @RadiantL1ght11 saying "A cheater praises cheating what a surprise". Lastly, City's reported Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches were inevitably brought up, with @connelpounds writing “115 charges loading” and @PHPetosquare stating "City ain't beating the allegations".

Football can be a fickle sport and fans are often eager to point out situations were opposition teams have a systemic advantage, such as Liverpool fans' references to cheating and City's FFP charges.

However, it was less than a week ago when there was significant uproar over Paul Tierney's decision to hand possession back to Liverpool before Darwin Nunez's last-minute winner against Nottingham Forest. While fans fight the eternal battle of the game being "rigged" against them, decisions like these actually demonstrate the dire state of officiating in the Premier League at the moment. Significant changes for matches at the highest level are needed, and fast.

After a pulsating match against two of the country's best sides, it was Arsenal who came out on top as they held on to top spot for the first time since before Christmas. There will now be a break from league action ahead of FA Cup quarter-finals weekend, with City taking on Newcastle on Saturday before Liverpool face rivals Manchester United on Sunday.