• Liverpool's title hopes took another dent as they were held to draw by West Ham
• The Reds could have scored a later winner before Anthony Taylor intervened 
• Arne Slot needs to be his own manager. Replacing Jurgen Klopp is an impossible job. Don't try to emulate him - Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast

Match of the Day pundits Ian Wright and Alan Shearer were united in their condemnation of Anthony Taylor for his 'nightmare' decision during Liverpool's 2-2- draw with West Ham. 

The Reds' title hopes took yet another dent as they were held by David Moyes' men at the London Stadium, with the game including a controversial call by the referee which appeared to deny them the chance for a winner. 

With four minutes remaining on the clock, Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola fell to the ground after collecting the ball from a cross into the box. He took his time to get back to his feet and referee Taylor waved play on and did not blow the whistle.

Areola then rolled the ball out and Cody Gakpo ran towards the French goalkeeper in an attempt to pass the ball into an empty net. However, Taylor then blew his whistle with no explanation and stopped the Dutchman from potentially giving Liverpool the lead late on.

His decision was called into question by Wright, who claimed the official caused confusion by not initially stopping play when the coming together occurred. 

A bizarre incident in the West Ham vs Liverpool game.

Anthony Taylor denied Cody Gakpo taking the ball away from Alphonse Areola in front of goal...

Was there a whistle here? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/myjWF8xnX2

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 27, 2024

'The referee has had an absolute nightmare.' The former Arsenal striker said on Match of the Day. 'The referee is running off and saying play on. 

'He stops and he actually tells the ‘keeper to get up. He says "come on, let’s get on with it." He says that a couple of times. He [Areola] finally gets up and then he [Taylor] runs off. 

'He says play. Now, he’s turned his back to him, I think Gakpo should have ran and finished that. Now he’s blown the whistle – I don’t know what’s going on. He’s going there…I don’t know what’s happening there now.'

Shearer was similarly perplexed by Taylor's call and insisted the 'mess' was all his own doing. 

'It’s a mess. The ref has made the error of not blowing.' Shearer said. 'When the goalkeeper has collided with the post, that’s when he should have stopped the play and blown the whistle. 

'He hasn’t blown the whistle which is an error. The referee calls the doctors and the physios on! They’re not even ready, they don’t even think he’s injured. He’s not injured, he’s [Taylor] has tried to rectify the mistake that he’s made.'

He added: 'It was a very messy situation caused by the referee.'

Prior to the incident, Jarrod Bowen and Andy Robertson had traded goals either side of the break before Areola's own goal appeared to have set the Reds on course for an important win to keep up the pressure on Arsenal and Manchester City. 

However, Michail Antonio equalised 13 minutes from time to deprive the visitors of two important points as they went back to Anfield with just the one. 

The incident-filled clash also included a heated exchange between Mohamed Salah and Jurgen Klopp when the Egyptian was about to be substituted onto the pitch in the second-half. 

Klopp seemed to say something to the Egyptian that provoked an angry reaction, and it led to Salah continually waving his arms about, pointing to the pitch and then pointing at his manager.

Shearer had sympathy for the Liverpool talisman and could understand his frustrations, saying: 'We don't know what Klopp has said to him there. He's said something that's riled him.'

'He's obviously got the right hump with being left out and probably rightly so, even though hasn't hit the heights that Mo Salah has done over the years. He's been an unbelievable player.'