There was no shortage of controversy in the Merseyside Derby on Saturday afternoon.

Liverpool were 1-0 down when Everton were given a controversial penalty.

Referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot after Dominic Calvert-Lewin tripped over Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Liverpool fans were given hope when VAR instructed Kavanagh to consult the pitchside monitor.

However, after spending all of two seconds reviewing the footage, the penalty stood.

Gylfi Sigurdsson would then make no mistake from the spot, leaving Liverpool fans fuming.

There has been a lot of debate surrounding the penalty and whether it should have stood.

Ex-Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has now given his thoughts on the matter in his column for the Daily Mail.

You can view a summary of his points below.

DECISION TO GIVE PENALTY CORRECT

"Dominic Calvert-Lewin had an open goal, so there was no reason for him to dive," he wrote. "As he hurdled Trent Alexander-Arnold to get to the ball, the Liverpool full back lifted his head and created contact.

"It was a penalty."

ALEXANDER-ARNOLD COULD HAVE BEEN SENT OFF

Clattenburg thinks that Alexander-Arnold could have been sent off for denying Calvert-Lewin a goal scoring opportunity, but says Kavanagh's decision to not punish him further was correct.

"It was good to see common sense prevail and Alexander-Arnold avoid a red card," he continued.

"The 22-year-old could have been dismissed for the denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity with no attempt to play the ball, if referee Chris Kavanagh had followed the same principles which saw David Luiz shown red at Wolves."

KAVANAGH WENT TO MONITOR TO CHECK RED CARD

Clattenburg says that both Kavanagh and VAR Andre Marriner agreed it was penalty.

Kavanagh only went over to the monitor to check whether Alexander-Arnold should be sent off.

"Kavanagh spent mere seconds at his monitor. It wasn't to check whether it was a penalty — he and VAR Andre Marriner accepted it was — but whether Alexander-Arnold should be red-carded", he said.

"Kavanagh applied the spirit of the law and decided not to further punish Liverpool. To avoid any more incorrect reds like the one for Luiz, the law should be changed."