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Will Smallbone fouled Darwin Nunez to give Liverpool an opportunity to equalise from the resulting penalty(Image: Getty Images)

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, plus pundits Joe Hart and Micah Richards, all agreed that Liverpool were right to receive two penalties during their 3-1 win over Southampton at Anfield.

Will Smallbone fouled Darwin Nunez inside the area not even two minutes after the striker equalised for the Reds, with Mohamed Salah converting from 12 yards to give Liverpool the lead.

Then, inside the final five of the 90 minutes, VAR recommended an on-field review after deeming Yukinari Sugawara handled the ball under pressure from Luis Diaz before Salah stepped up again to score the second spot-kick with aplomb.

Richards called the Sugawara handball "clear" on the BBC highlights programme, agreeing with the information provided by Premier League Match Centre.

"VAR checked the referee's call of no penalty for a possible handball by Sugawara – and deemed that he made a deliberate movement towards the ball with his arm, therefore recommended an on-field review," their post on X, formerly Twitter, stated.

The foul on Nunez was awarded on-field and thus did not result in comments from Match Centre, but on Saturday night, Hart and Lineker believed referee Lewis Smith was right with that decision.

The former acknowledged Nunez was "just getting in front of Smallbone" before the presenter interjected, asking: "Do you think that was a penalty?

[Southampton manager, Ivan] Juric didn't, but we do, don't we?

Hart replied: "I 100% think it's a penalty." Lineker acknowledged Smallbone "kicked through him" before Hart concurred: "He's come clumsily through the back of him."

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As alluded to by Lineker, the Saints manager disagreed.

"I think the first penalty was not a penalty, and that changed the match," Juric said.

"This cannot be a penalty ever.

The contact was too soft to be a penalty in England."