Liverpool fans fume at WSL Merseyside derby penalty - 'Makes the league look like a joke'

Liverpool fans have raged after Everton were awarded a penalty in their Merseyside derby defeat on Sunday - despite the the foul clearly being outside of the box.

pulled off a 1-0 win over their bitter rivals, with Katja Snoeijs' spot kick the only goal of the game, but supporters have been fuming on social media after the crucial strike came after the penalty was wrongly awarded.

The referee pointed to the spot after Honoka Hayashi was tripped by Fuka Nagano - but many fans and pundits pointed out how the latter's challenge came outside of the area.

Snoeijs punished Liverpool by converting her penalty and it proved crucial as it handed Everton a famous win, leaving the Reds feeling hard done by.

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Supporters vented their frustration with the decision on social media during the game, with one saying: "The officiating standards in the WSL are dreadful".

Another called on WSL chiefs to "sort the reffing out" after the baffling decision, adding: "This isn't exactly a close call. Makes the league look like a joke."

Others called it "a terrible decision" and "a massive blunder" by the referee, with another lambasting the "genuinely horrendous" call.

Former Everton and Liverpool star Fern Whelan was left stumped by the decision making from the referee and said it was "beyond her" how it was given.

"She's not even in the box, so how that gets given as a penalty is beyond me," she told Sky Sports. "You've got players behind you, do you really need to go out and make that decision? It's clumsy. Slow down."

The result - which was Everton's first win of the season - puts the team up to ninth in the WSL table, with Liverpool still sixth and six points behind and , who are fourth and fifth respectively and level on 15 points.

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