Bold claim: Mohamed Salah’s not at fault here—until you see the clip, you might miss the real first foul. But here’s where it gets controversial: Keith Hackett argues Salah’s push on a Brighton defender should have been penalised before Salah won the spot kick.
Credit: Imago
Sat 14 February 2026 22:45, UK
Former PGMOL head and ex-FIFA referee Keith Hackett told Football Insider that Salah committed a foul on Brighton’s Ferdi Kadıoğlu on Saturday, 14 February, and that Attwell should have punished it before Salah’s penalty.
According to Hackett, as Salah attempted to surge into the Seagulls’ penalty area, he pushed Kadıoğlu to the ground, then was later brought down by Pascal Gross inside Anfield, leading to a penalty. Hackett maintains the initial push and the subsequent foul inside the box should have been the focus of the decision.
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- Read more: Stuart Attwell got a number of other decisions wrong at Anfield.
Salah escapes punishment, per Hackett
In an exclusive chat, Hackett said: “There was a push by Salah on the edge of the penalty area. That was a foul, and that should have been penalised. That was missed, and then he was fouled when being held inside the penalty area, with the referee awarding a penalty kick. We should be discussing the foul on the edge of the area.”
Hackett described the edge-of-penalty foul as blatant and suggests Salah should have been penalised earlier. He noted that Salah’s tumble inside the box—while it looked dubious at first—can be explained by an ankle clip from Gross, observed more clearly after several replays in the 67th minute.
- Read more: Liverpool want to open talks with Mohamed Salah over a new contract.
Arne Slot’s star winger shines again vs Brighton
Beyond the controversy, Salah’s performance stood out. He converted the penalty with flair, assisted Dominik Szoboszlai, and contributed four chances created. He finished with five shots, completed 75% of his dribbles, and made four recoveries (FotMob data).
Despite ongoing criticism of his defensive work, Salah registered a 67% win rate in ground duels, drew three fouls, and was dispossessed only once, signaling a strong all-around contribution.
With six goals and seven assists across competitions, the 33-year-old still has plenty to offer, even if some fans feel he’s not the same player as in peak seasons.
That perspective may be divisive, but this match showed Salah’s resolve: when it mattered, he came alive at Anfield and reminded everyone he’s still ready to fight for his club.
