Sadio Mane says he wasn’t worried that his winning goal for Liverpool against Wolves on Sunday would be chalked off, as he was “sure it was a goal.”
Mane’s 42nd-minute finish was originally not given, as referee Anthony Taylor adjudged Adam Lallana to have flicked the ball on with his arm.
VAR confirmed, after a lengthy delay, that Lallana had instead assisted with his shoulder – though Wolves fans were left incredulous as Virgil van Dijk had appeared to handball earlier in the move.
“To be honest I thought I saw the ball from the beginning so knew it was the shoulder so I wasn’t panicked; I was sure it was a goal,” Mane told Sky Sports.
“Sometimes you are lucky, sometimes you are unlucky but it is part of football.”
As is now the norm in the Premier League, the post-match discussion was all about VAR as Wolves’ Pedro Neto had an apparent equaliser chalked off for the most marginal of offsides.
Nevertheless, the 1-0 win left Liverpool 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League, and unbeaten in 50 league matches at Anfield – only the third time the milestone has been reached in English top-flight history.
Mane, however, doesn’t believe last season’s disappointment in the league is a factor anymore after his side lost out on the title by a point to Manchester City.
“I think the frustration from last season is behind us,” he added.
“We know how to deal with this kind of situation. But this situation is a new situation, we are top of the table at the moment but not end of the season.
“We will still keep working hard to try to win games.”
Defender Van Dijk, meanwhile, says he would need to see a replay of his alleged handball which came before he launched the ball upfield for Lallana to flick on to Mane.
“I need to see it back,” he said.
“I can’t remember it. I heard from you guys about handball. I thought it was complaints about the handball for Adam Lallana. The game is over. What can we do? The goal stood.
“Wolves are a fantastic side who play good football and you have to give them credit because it was going to be difficult. Today was going to be the same.
“We want to keep continuing what we are doing and we will see where we are at the end of the road.
“We feel we can improve but cannot complain about where we are. 2019 was promising and hopefully we can keep it going and enjoy the ride.”
