Jurgen Klopp insists referee Craig Pawson was wrong to award Everton penalty

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes referee Craig Pawson was wrong to award Everton a penalty as the points were shared in the Merseyide derby.

The Reds looked set for three points thanks to Mohamed Salah’s first half wonder strike but had to make do with a draw after Wayne Rooney’s successful spot-kick effort.

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Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin was adjudged to have been fouled by defender Dejan Lovren after being bundled over in the penalty area when there appeared to be little danger.

But despite widespread opinion contrasting his own, Klopp insisted his team were harshly dealt with.

“It’s getting harder and harder to talk about it because everybody is saying it is a penalty and I’m the only one who thinks it’s not a penalty,” Klopp told talkSPORT.

“I’m sure it’s no penalty - I cannot change that.

“Because we have these challenges in this game - 500 times - no whistle. I didn’t hear one whistle.

“I still have in mind a situation with [Gylfi] Sigurdsson, a player who I really like, and Hendo [Jordan Henderson].

“Again, for me, a red card in the derby. There we leave the door open for challenges like that and give away a penalty like this. I don’t understand.

“But I have to accept everything, that’s my life, and I do that. But sometimes I have to take a little bit longer for that and obviously today it takes longer.”

Salah starred for the Reds again after his piece of individual brilliance unlocked the Toffees defence approaching the half time interval.

The Egyptian continues to thrive at Anfield and scored his 13th league goal of the season against Sam Allardyce’s side.

Klopp decided to substitute Salah with 20 minutes left to play before his side relinquished their lead seven minutes later.

But the German coach insisted his tactical switch had nothing to do with Everton finding an equaliser.

“He played 70 minutes - he is not a machine; he is a human being,” Klopp added.

“We have these options on the bench so we use them.

“You have [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right wing, Sadio Mane on the left, you have Roberto Firmino as a 10, you have Dominic Solanke as a nine. They all can score goals.

“I make the decisions because I’m absolutely convinced about them and afterwards, sometimes, we realise we aren’t right.

“But with this decision, I’m 100 per cent fine. Because it had nothing to do with the goal we conceded.

“We would have won 1-0 and I would have taken that easily.”