Crystal Palace’s clash with Liverpool at Selhurst Park was finely balanced until Mohamed Salah took a tumble in the penalty area just before half-time.

The PFA Player of the Year fell after a challenge from Mamadou Sakho and referee Michael Oliver immediately pointed to the spot.

Replays showed that Sakho did catch Salah and that it was the correct decision.

But that didn’t stop Palace players and fans from protesting.

After the spot-kick was awarded, Palace players surrounded Salah and the referee as they somehow tried to get the decision overturned.

And Palace captain Luka Milivojevic has admitted that he attempted to get Salah to tell Oliver that it wasn’t a penalty - only for Salah to insist it was.

“I told him ‘say to the referee it was not a penalty’. But he said ‘it was’. From his point of view it was a penalty as well,” Milivojevic said.

“In my opinion, it was not a penalty. During the game that was my opinion and after the game when I saw the image, Mama tried to touch the ball, he did not touch the ball and in my opinion he did not touch the man.

“He fell down and for the referee it was a penalty. I did not see the contact on Salah. for me, it was clear, it was not a penalty.”

So, Salah clearly felt he had been fouled by Sakho and insisted it was a penalty.

Some fans thought that Salah may have been admitted that it wasn't actually a penalty when he was seen speaking to Palace players with his hand over his mouth.

The Liverpool Echo even suggested that Salah has his own 'Robbie Fowler moment' - in reference to when Fowler tried to get a penalty he had won against Arsenal overturned due to his dive.

And when asked whether he believed the Liverpool star dived, Milivojevic refused to accuse him of cheating.

“I do not want to talk a lot about that situation, like I said from point of view it was not and from the referee’s point of view it was. And that is it.”

Interestingly, despite believing that Oliver made the wrong decision to give Liverpool a penalty, Milivojevic doesn’t want VAR in England’s top-flight.

“I do not want VAR in this league,” he added.

“In my opinion in this country, you have the best referees in the world. That is my opinion and I do not think VAR will help.”

James Milner stepped up to convert the penalty to give Liverpool a 1-0 lead heading into half-time.

As Palace pushed for an equaliser in the second-half, they were caught on the break which led to Aaron Wan-Bissaka getting sent-off for denying Salah a goalscoring opportunity.

Sadio Mane then sealed the match for the Reds in the closing minutes.