• Premier League

Gerrard: Linesman guessed on Suarez 'goal'

Steven Gerrard was in the thick of the action for Liverpool © PA Photos

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Gerrard withdraws Everton barbs
  
• News: Gerrard: 'Direct' Everton remind me of Stoke
  
• News: Rodgers: Critics won't force Suarez out
  
• News: Moyes: Suarez lucky to stay on the pitch
  
• Features: Suarez does his best Tom Daley impression
  
• News: United close gap on Chelsea, Everton thwart Liverpool
  
• Profile: Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard accused Phil Neville of letting his manager down by diving during Sunday's Merseyside derby, and he claims the linesman that cost Liverpool three points was unsure he had made the right decision.

Neville was booked for diving just before half-time as the city rivals drew 2-2 in an eventful match at Goodison Park.

Gerrard was furious because Everton boss David Moyes had suggested before the match that Liverpool forward Luis Suarez would use theatrics to try to con referee Andre Marriner. Suarez brushed aside Moyes' criticism by scoring his side's second goal, and celebrated their first - which went in off Leighton Baines - with a swallow dive in front of the Everton bench.

But Liverpool captain Gerrard felt Neville set a bad example by trying to win a free-kick from defender Daniel Agger by going to ground without a foul being committed.

"I think Phil Neville badly let his manager down," Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo. "His manager did every paper, every radio station and every TV channel talking about Luis Suarez and then his captain, who is meant to be setting an example, blatantly dives.

"If David Moyes is a real man and a real manager, which I think he is, then he will be speaking to Phil Neville about it.

"With what he said about Luis Suarez before, David Moyes was trying to get in the referee's head, which is fine - that's all part of the game, stuff like that - but you don't expect your captain to dive like that."

Neville said he had been wrong to dive, and that Moyes had given him a telling-off about it. "It was a stupid thing to do," the defender said. "I don't find myself at that end of the pitch very often and I actually thought Daniel Agger was coming to take me out.

"Rightly, I got my butt kicked at half-time, put myself under pressure with the yellow card and I couldn't really commit to tackles in the second half. I won't do it again, that's for sure."

Gerrard also criticised the officials for wrongly disallowing what would have been a late Suarez winner for offside.

"I've seen it again and we can feel sorry ourselves because it was a clear goal," he said. "We should be taking away the three points rather than just one. There is no offside, and it's difficult for me to explain it. The only person who can explain it is the linesman.

"I asked him after the game if it was offside and he said: 'I think so.' That's not good enough. If every decision in this league is based on 'we think so', then we're in trouble.

"The linesman got it badly wrong. The benefit of the doubt is supposed to go to the attacking player anyway."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.