Liverpool fans were full of praise for Arsene Wenger after his recent comments on English players and diving.
Liverpool were on the wrong end of a couple of penalty decisions as they drew 2-2 with Spurs last weekend.
First, Dele Alli dived, and Jon Moss rightly gave him a yellow card.
Then Harry Kane decided to go down because he “felt contact” and won a penalty despite being offside. After that, Erik Lamela won another spot-kick with some dramatics.
After Alli and Kane’s theatrics, Wenger told the media: “I must say the English players have learnt (to dive) very quickly and they’re maybe the masters now.”
Liverpool fans seemed pretty happy to hear the Arsenal boss speak out against English divers. A few tweeted their agreement after Match of the Day posted the quotes:
haha he’s not Liverpool manager but I have a lot of respect for arsene wenger I think he’s a top bloke
— Padge (@DJPADGE) February 8, 2018
Too right, Alli is the worst in England at it
— Sadioinho (@Sadioinho) February 8, 2018
Even more Liverpool fans weighed in on Reddit, after one supporter posted the quotes. The top-rated comment on the thread was “I have always rated Wenger”.
Many others agreed, saying things like “always will stand by it – Wenger is an absolutely fantastic man” and “what a legend this man is”.
Whilst their support for the Arsenal boss might not last very long, it seems the Gunners at least have the red half of Merseyside on side for this weekend’s North London derby.
It’s not as if Wenger was saying anything particularly controversial either. Opta stats have English players as the most commonly booked for diving this season. That’s before you even take into account all the simulations and exaggerations they get away with.
There you have it. Says it all. pic.twitter.com/naW4bj5FfM
— OlaNrewaju (@kolyphe) February 9, 2018
Hopefully Anthony Taylor is ready for Alli and Kane’s next round of dives on Saturday.