"Absolutely outrageous" - Darren Ambrose claims no team other than Liverpool would've been awarded dubious penalty against Crystal Palace

Former Crystal Palace star Darren Ambrose has expressed his frustration with how Liverpool were awarded a late penalty against the Eagles.

The Reds reduced the gap with table-toppers Manchester City, who have played one game more, to nine points with a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday. Virgil van Dijk, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Fabinho were on the scoresheet for Jurgen Klopp's side on the afternoon.

While the Merseyside-based club earned three points from the match, the manner in which they sealed the win was controversial. The Anfield outfit were awarded a late penalty at Selhurst Park after Vicente Guaita brought Diogo Jota down in the box.

Fabinho went on to score from the spot, but Ambrose was left infuriated by the referee's decision to give the visitors the penalty. The Englishman insisted that no team other than the Reds would have been awarded a spotkick for the incident. He told talkSPORT [via Liverpool Echo]:

“An absolutely outrageous penalty decision, absolutely outrageous. Diogo Jota has waited for Guaita to come out, he’s missed the ball, he’s run into the goalkeeper and they’ve given a penalty. Sorry, no team gets that other than Liverpool.

“Honestly, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, all the big teams get them decisions - they seem to get them decisions," he added. "It’s a game of opinions. I know that and I’m sure a lot of supporters will say, ‘yeah, it’s 100 per cent a penalty’, but come on. If you’re honest with yourselves, that was not a penalty."

Klopp's side looked likely to seal an easy win in London when they went into the half-time break with a 2-0 lead. However, Crystal Palace fought their way back by scoring a goal and were threatening to equalize when the visitors were awarded a penalty.

“It would’ve still finished 2-1," Ambrose said, sharing his thoughts on the match. "I still think Liverpool deserved the win but Crystal Palace were getting on top, they were getting back into the game and there was a chance they could have potentially nicked an equaliser at the end of the game.”

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Can Liverpool catch up with Manchester City?

Manchester City currently sit atop the Premier League table with 57 points from 23 matches. Meanwhile, the Reds sit just behind Pep Guardiola's side with 48 points from 22 games.

Jurgen Klopp's side can reduce the gap with the Citizens to six points if they win their game in hand. It remains to be seen if the Merseyside-based club can catch up with Manchester City before the season ends.