Liverpool striker accused of diving by West Brom midfielder

Luis Suarez seems to appear in the headlines for one reason or another after every Liverpool match. His brace against Stoke City in the Carling Cup saw the Uruguayan earn rave reviews and his performance at West Brom helped them team to a comfortable 2-0 victory.

However, there were also accusations that Suarez had dived to earn the Reds a penalty at The Hawthorns, something which led to Charlie Adam scoring the opening goal of the game.

The Liverpool forward was moving away from goal when Jerome Thomas apparently tripped Suarez in the penalty area, something which saw the visitors win a spot kick.

Midfielder Paul Scharner was less than impressed by the decision and claims that it was a “nice dive” from a player who seems to be on the receiving end of more than his fair share of challenges.

Scharner said: “It was a nice dive for the penalty and that got Liverpool well started for the game.

“It put us under pressure and we weren’t good enough to respond.

“He (Suarez) is very good at winning penalties. He’s one of the best on the planet, in fact. I had a good view of it.

“If that’s a penalty, then you will find 1,500 penalties are given in every match.

“I know it was the assistant who flagged for it and maybe he had a better view than the referee. But there was a general feeling amongst all the players that it was a soft penalty.”

Even so, Liverpool team-mate Andy Carroll was more complimentary about Suarez’s impact during the match, saying: “He is a great player, he works hard for the team so it is nice to have him up top with me. It makes it a lot easier.

“He makes chances and can score goals himself, he can drop off and get the ball to his feet to dribble with it and slip people in.

“We are playing well together at the minute and hope it will carry on.”