Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has explained why Liverpool's opening goal against Manchester City at Anfield left the pundits in the Sky Sports studio laughing.
The top of the table clash on Merseyside got off to an electric start when Fabinho fired home for the hosts from outside the box, although the goal was a controversial one.
20 seconds prior to that strike, City were furiously appealing for a penalty after the ball appeared to strike the arm of Trent Alexander-Arnold and VAR was called upon to check the goal.
The on-field decision was not changed though and the goal stood, which Mourinho revealed left the Sky Sports pundits laughing as they imagined what the scenes would have been like if the decision had changed.
“We were laughing here and we were imagining it. It’s an amazing goal from Fabinho. Imagine going back and transforming a Liverpool amazing goal to a penalty against Liverpool. But that’s not the point, the point is consistency," he said at half-time.
However, former City defender Vincent Kompany, also a guest in the studio, made it clear that not everyone was laughing, having earlier slammed the verdict from the officials.
“One way or another, the action should have been stopped there and then in the other box. The reason being is that you can argue about Bernardo having a handball, I think he doesn’t know anything about it, but with Trent, that’s a handball," he stated.
"That’s not a natural position. One way or another, you stop the action there and make a decision. My interpretation is that Bernardo’s hand is in a natural position and Alexander-Arnold’s isn’t."
