Andy Robertson believes opponents are clutching at straws attempting to brand Mohamed Salah as a diver.
Egypt hitman Salah converted the penalty he won for himself to steal Liverpool a 1-0 win at Brighton on Saturday, reaffirming the Redsâ Premier League lead.
Brightonâs players and fans reacted angrily to Salah winning the penalty under Pascal Grossâ heavy challenge, but Robertson has mounted a strong defence of his Anfield team-mate.
Asked if any of the rough treatment dished out to Salah bothered Liverpool, Scotland full-back Robertson replied: âNone of it apart from the diving, heâs not that type of player.
âEvery time it happens then we go back and everyone looks at the video and you go, âwell, itâs not a diveâ so how many times is it going to happen?
âIâm not sure if the Brighton players did say it was a dive or not and Iâll need to see it back but I was at the edge of the box and for me it was a stone-waller.
âIf people are starting to say Mo has gone down easily itâs not fair because the one against Arsenal, especially, he got clipped three times on his way down and they still appealed it so itâs a bit of desperation.
âIâve not seen this Brighton one back but itâs a no-brainer really for the referee.â
Liverpoolâs 2-1 loss at City proved their first of a stunning Premier League campaign, and prompted an FA Cup loss at Wolves.
Kloppâs men shut down that wobble with their workmanlike win at Brighton though, leaving Robertson hopeful the victory will grow in significance as the weeks pass.
âWe hope we are here to stay; thatâs the main objective, keep winning the games and keep on top because thatâs where we are right now,â said Robertson.
âBut if things do start going wrong we need to get back on track quickly. I wouldnât say it went wrong at the Etihad but it was our first defeat and it was good to follow that up with a win.
âThe two Brighton games have been massive for us because we have not been at our best.
âWhen we played them at home we werenât at our best and they probably had a few more chances and we won 1-0.
âAnd then on Saturday we did the exact same.
âItâs that winning mentality. Whoever wins the league will look back on some games and go âdo you know what, we probably werenât at our best there, and that was probably one that helped us turn one point into three or zero into oneâ.
âSo there will be games over the season and whoever does that will probably have three or four games to look back on and if we manage to do it, Iâm sure weâll look back on this game as one of them.â
Robertson also revealed he will be kept on his toes just as much at home as at the club, with a new arrival in his family.
âWeâve had a wee girl, all healthy, weâve called her Aria but Iâll give my wife all credit for that,â he added.
âItâs a great thing welcoming another child into our lives and itâs a big thing for us.â
Provided by Press Association Sport