Chris Richards has called out Mohamed Salah following his handball incident in Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win over Liverpool, after the Egyptian forward avoided punishment for a controversial act late in the second half.
Oliver Glasner’s side maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a dramatic victory over the reigning Premier League champions on Saturday, with Eddie Nketiah’s 97th-minute goal proving decisive.
Palace were dominant for the majority of the contest following an early opener from Ismaila Sarr but saw Liverpool draw level three minutes before injury time, with Federico Chiesa pouncing from close range.
In the build-up to the goal, Salah seemed to handle the ball as it travelled towards the penalty area – his arm was raised as Ryan Gravenberch delivered a cross into the box, and the ball appeared to brush the Egyptian’s fingertips.
Despite a lengthy VAR check, the goal was allowed to stand and gave Liverpool hope of grabbing a late point, before Palace found a winner through Nketiah in the dying seconds.
Chris Richards Calls Out Mohamed Salah
Richards, referring to the Salah incident on X, wrote ‘I knew I wasn’t seeing things’ as he reposted a picture showing the Egyptian making contact with the ball before Liverpool’s leveller.
The Premier League Match Centre later explained why Chiesa’s goal was allowed to stand, saying there was no evidence of handball.
They said via X: “The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed there was no conclusive evidence that Salah handled the ball in the build-up.”
Saturday’s result saw Palace stretch their unbeaten run in all competitions to 18 games, as well as maintain their positive start to the Premier League campaign, with three wins and three draws in six matches.
Glasner’s side remain the only unbeaten Premier League team this campaign and have the joint second-best defence, with three goals conceded so far.
It is only the fifth time in their history that Palace have avoided defeat in their opening six league matches, with the last time coming in the 1990/91 season.
The defeat ended Liverpool’s perfect start to the season after five wins from their opening five games and gave plenty to think about for Arne Slot, as his side were fortunate to concede only twice.
Palace next take on Dynamo Kyiv in the Conference League on Thursday, while Liverpool travel to Turkey to face Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday.