Alan Shearer and Ian Wright slam Anthony Taylor 'nightmare' that denied Cody Gakpo Liverpool goal

Alan Shearer and Ian Wight have called into question Anthony Taylor's refereeing that led to Cody Gakpo being denied a goalscoring opportunity during Liverpool's 2-2 draw with West Ham United on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds were unable to find a winner at the London Stadium, though had a great chance to do so when quick-thinking from Gakpo saw the Dutch forward sprint to take possession of the ball goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had thrown down while preparing to pick out a team-mate.

Areola had gone down in the box moments earlier having collected a ball from a Liverpool cross, though no free-kick was awarded by Taylor and play continued as normal. Gakpo was therefore allowed to intercept the ball placed on the ground by the Hammers' shot-stopper, with the whole goal to aim at, though Taylor quickly blew his whistle to prevent the Dutchman from doing so.

READ MORE: Alan Shearer sides with Mohamed Salah after clash with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp

READ MORE: Mohamed Salah anger doesn't reveal Liverpool truth as Jurgen Klopp plea misread

The Premier League official signalled for a pause in play to allow West Ham medical staff to enter the pitch and assess Areola, taking the decision himself that the former Paris Saint-Germain star required treatment despite the player himself not asking for assistance.

Reacting to the strange incident ,which occured with time running out in the second half, Wright said on Match of the Day: "The referee has had an absolute nightmare. 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."

Sharing a similar stance to the ex-Arsenal striker, Shearer added: "It’s a mess. The ref has made the error of not blowing. 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. It was a very messy situation caused by the referee."