Frank Lampard suggests officials acted in Liverpool’s favor during the clash at Anfield

Everton manager Frank Lampard was left frustrated after his team saw penalty appeals dismissed while neighbors Liverpool scored twice in the second half to take the points

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Match in pictures: Liverpool 2-0 Everton

Frank Lampard questioned referee Stuart Attwell’s decision to deny his team a penalty their Premier League defeat to Liverpool on Anfield Road.

Anthony Gordon took center stage on both occasions. The winger was booked for a dive in the first half after going down Liverpool Box before further claims were denied in the second period as he went under under Joel Matip’s challenge.

Chief of the Reds Jürgen Klopp was convinced that neither challenge deserved a penalty. Lampard wasn’t so sure, however, while Gordon, even after a defeat that left the Merseyside club against him, made his case as they aim to remain in the league First League.

“I think it was [a penalty]’ Lampard said Sky Sports after the game. “I didn’t see how clear it was.”

However, Klopp contradicted his counterpart and remained undeterred in his assessment. “It [the second] was clearly not a penalty,” he said BBC Sport.

“He’s really good but he’s lucky not to get a second yellow card. The first wasn’t a penalty and the second wasn’t.”

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“I think we could have gotten a penalty,” said Gordon. “But sometimes they just go against you and that’s how football is sometimes.

“The second [appeal] was the strongest because he [Matip] stood on my foot. Obviously I went one on one with him and defeated him and he stood on my foot which caused me a lot of pain and I fell to the ground.

“The first time I looked back. I felt the contact and went down, but from some angles I can see why [the referee] did not exist. But it’s certainly not a yellow card because it’s not a fall.”

Everton’s defeat left them in the bottom three, with Lampard’s side falling to 18th Burnley beat wolves earlier in the day. However, her manager insisted her battle against the fall was far from over and he praised his team’s performance despite the result.

“We are not fit to play against Liverpool,” he said. “We were clever for 60 minutes and after that it will be very difficult.

“[Our league position] discussed but we had to assume Burnley would win today. [16th place] Leeds are still in, they play tomorrow [against Crystal Palace ].

“We had to reckon that Burnley could win. 18 points that we have to fight for. It’s important for us, the fans and the club that we don’t get negatively involved. We have to be realistic. With the attitude we showed today have, and some things go our way…”