Hugo Ekitike Liverpool penalty verdict given after appeals vs Leeds United

View Image

Jamie Carragher delivered a swift assessment of Liverpool's penalty appeals during their Premier League clash with Leeds United .

The Reds were facing the Whites in their New Year's Day fixture in the top flight at Anfield, as they looked to close the gap on the teams above them in the table.

Liverpool entered the match seeking another triumph after defeating Wolves 2-1 on home turf in their last outing, which came courtesy of goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz, who netted his first for the club since his £116million move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.

Arne Slot's team sat fourth in the Premier League standings going into the contest against Leeds and had the opportunity to narrow the deficit on third-placed Aston Villa with a victory.

The opening stages saw Liverpool control possession, with Wirtz creating the first significant chance for the Reds to break the deadlock before his close-range strike was stopped by Leeds defender James Justin.

Just prior to Wirtz's attempt, Hugo Ekitike was battling for the ball in the penalty box with Jaka Bijol, which led to the Liverpool striker being visibly frustrated.

There were brief claims for a penalty after Liverpool's opportunity to open the scoring was denied, with Carragher providing his analysis whilst commentating, reports the Liverpool Echo .

“If he [Ekitike] goes down, he probably gets a penalty, but he's trying to score a goal,” Carragher said on Sky Sports .

“I think the defender probably does enough to make sure he doesn't give a penalty (away). Brilliant from Ekitike, what centre forward play that was.”

Liverpool would also have been eager to secure maximum points against Leeds, having been denied victory in the reverse meeting between the two sides.

The Reds had to make do with a point in a 3-3 draw at Elland Road in December, with Liverpool conceding a last-minute equaliser that denied them a win on their trip to Yorkshire.

Slot's team went into the half-time interval against Leeds goalless with Liverpool failing to trouble goalkeeper Lucas Perri for the majority of the opening 45 minutes, despite the two teams being separated by 12 points going into the game.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.