• Premier League

Kuyt wants refs to lay off Carroll

ESPNsoccernet staff
April 5, 2011
Andy Carroll found Jonas Olsson a tough nut to crack at The Hawthorns © PA Photos
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Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt has called for referees to give team-mate Andy Carroll fairer treatment, claiming that the Reds' strikers have been hard done by compared to other teams.

Towering target man Carroll was pulled up for a number of fouls in his battle with Jonas Olsson in West Brom's 2-1 win at the Hawthorns on Saturday.

Carroll's failure to win his aerial duels limited Liverpool's effectiveness and they were punished as Chris Brunt scored a pair of spot kicks to hinder their chances of securing European football next season.

"I thought the referee was right with the two penalty decisions but it appears that referees have problems with things our strikers are doing - it was the same with Fernando [Torres]," Kuyt said in the Guardian. "Every time they go up in the air, they seem to have free-kicks given against them and I don't think the way Andy was treated was very fair.

"It is very frustrating as you see strikers on other teams doing exactly the same thing yet they don't get punished. It's difficult to understand sometimes and referees need to look at the situation. That's why Andy was so frustrated during the game. He felt he should have got a couple of free-kicks. We spoke to him just to try and help him calm down."

Carroll scored his first goal for England in the international clash with Ghana, although replays showed he committed a foul in the lead up that allowed him to get free of his marker.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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