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Football

17th Jan 2021

Jordan Henderson says Liverpool were frustrated by “strange” half-time whistle call

Simon Lloyd

Liverpool remain behind Manchester United in the table

Jordan Henderson has admitted he and his Liverpool teammates were left “frustrated” at Paul Tierney’s decision to blow the half-time whistle as Sadio Mane appeared to be through on goal during the 0-0 draw with Manchester United on Sunday.

Clear-cut chances were limited in the game at Anfield but a ball over the top of United’s backline seemed to have put Mane one-on-one with goalkeeper David De Gea in the final seconds of stoppage time at the end of the first half. The whistle, however, had been blown before it reached Mane.

The decision left some Liverpool supporters bemused, particularly given that Sky Sports’ coverage showed there was still a minimum of six seconds of additional time to be played. Clearly, judging by Henderson’s comments after the game, the feeling was the same amongst the players.

“We weren’t happy about that, as you can imagine,” the Liverpool captain told Geoff Shreeves at full-time. “It was strange. Very strange. I think he [Mane] is through on goal if he doesn’t blow.

“I don’t know, but yeah, we were frustrated at half-time.”

United’s 1-0 win at Burnley last week moved Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side ahead of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. The champions’ failure to beat them means they remain beneath their great rivals.