Peter Walton disagrees with Ian Wright on 'nightmare' that denied Cody Gakpo Liverpool goal

Former Premier League referee Peter Walton believes Anthony Taylor was right to deny Cody Gakpo the chance to score during Liverpool's 2-2 draw with West Ham United on Saturday afternoon.

Taylor controversially blew his whistle during the latter stages of the match as West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola prepared to play out from the back, throwing the ball to the ground as he readied himself.

It was at this point Gakpo raced forward to win possession of the ball, presenting himself with an opportunity to fire into an empty net. Before the Dutchman had the opportunity to do so, however, Taylor paused play and called for West Ham medical staff to assess Areola.

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There remains confusion as to why Taylor signalled for the game to stop despite Areola not requesting treatment, denying Gakpo the chance to put the Reds 3-2 ahead. Ex-Arsenal striker Ian Wright said the referee "had an absolute nightmare" in the way he reacted to the incident, though Walton has jumped to the defence of Taylor and is of the view he handled the situation correctly.

“Taylor was right to stop Gakpo," he told the Times. "He used his common sense. Referees are always criticised for failing to apply common sense in their decision-making. So it makes me smile now when some people claim that Anthony Taylor should not have intervened when the West Ham goalkeeper, Alphonse Areola, tossed the ball forwards to indicate he was in pain after a collision with a post.

"Taylor had initially told Areola to get on with the game, and after the ball was thrown, Cody Gakpo thought he had