Simon Mignolet Explains Why He 'Had to' Foul Mame Diouf in Stoke-Liverpool Clash

Simon Mignolet has claimed that he "had to" bring Mame Biram Diouf around the box on Wednesday as critics continue to question why the Liverpool man wasn't sent off.

The Reds goalkeeper hauled the forward down on the edge of the area at the Bet365 Stadium with the scoreline reading 1-0 to Liverpool, but Mignolet was inexplicably only shown a yellow card by referee Martin Atkinson despite preventing a clear goalscoring opportunity.

In quotes attributed to Mignolet in the Stoke Sentinel, the Belgium international explained his thought process behind the decision that could have seen him sent off and his side reduced to 10 men if not for Atkinson's baffling decision.

Stu Forster/GettyImages

Mignolet said: “In those moments it goes quick. I don’t know if I was the last man but I had to bring him down otherwise it was a goal and it changes the game at 1-1. Instead they had to take a free-kick which we defended.”

Ex-Liverpool star Danny Murphy opined that Mignolet should have been sent for an early bath for the foul, but the keeper stayed on the field to help his side to a 3-0 win.

Mohamed Salah's brace from the bench added to Sadio Mane's first-half strike and Mignolet admitted that the flattering scoreline was one that Jurgen Klopp's men needed, no matter what, to achieve in the Potteries.

He said: “Stoke is always a tough place to come to. Of course we won 3-0 in the end but it wasn’t that easy. We had to fight for it and we did well. 

"We did what you have to expect to do when you come here and we planned to score goals on the counter attack, which we did.

“Mo came on the pitch in the last 20 minutes to help us out, settle us down and give us a good scoreline but I think we deserved it. We did the best we could and we created enough chances on the counter attack. Even in the first half we could have scored more than one.”