Mohamed Salah's alleged diving antics have come under scrutiny after he apparently went down too easily and without any contact from Mamadou Sakho in Liverpool's 3-2 win against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Despite his rise as one of the world's most prominent goal scorers, Salah has earned himself a theatrical reputation in the Premier League.
Referee Mark Clattenburg has officiated some of the world's top games, including the 2016 Champions League final and the UEFA Euro final in the same year.
He explained how the Egyptian and Premier League top scorer uses his body to try and "deceive" referees.
"Mo Salah went down with no contact from Mamadou Sakho," Clattenburg wrote in the Daily Mail.
"It's irrelevant that he did not appeal for a penalty, because he was trying to deceive referee Jonathan Moss, who should have issued a yellow card.
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"One thing I have noticed is that when Salah goes down to try to win penalties, his hands go above his head," he explained.
"Salah was accused of going down easily to win penalties against Arsenal and Newcastle. In all these situations, he has no chance to score, so it seems he prefers to try to win a penalty.
"As he is Liverpool's penalty taker, he will know winning a spot-kick means he has a free shot at goal. He is then likely to increase his chances of winning the Golden Boot."
Salah has scored 16 league goals so far this season; three of those have come from the penalty spot.
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Has the Liverpool forward been treated harshly? Or should he be punished for his alleged diving offences?
Let us know in the comments.
Words by Kane Allen
Topics: Liverpool, Football News, Anfield, Football, Mark Clattenburg, Premier League, Mohamed Salah, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace
