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Liverpool fans were left fuming when the Reds were denied a penalty for what seemed like a clear pull on Joel Matip from Jan Vertonghen at a corner kick during the 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

Referee Robert Madeley chose to issue a warning to the Tottenham defender, rather than point to the spot, and after Mike Dean gave two penalties for similar offences for both Stoke and Manchester City last week, Reds fans wanted to know why.

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Jurgen Klopp was also angered by the decision, telling the fourth official in no uncertain terms what he thought, and questioning the rules after the game.

Klopp said: "If the referee waits one second then it is 100% a penalty, do we have to make the corner quicker?

"Ask him what the rules are. We go there (to Burnley) and it is a penalty and today not. I have no idea what is right.

"It's a penalty. I don't know why you stop the game unless it's a penalty."

Well, it turns out the answer is quite simple. The ball wasn't in play - and therefore no penalty can be given.

Referees have been told to clamp down on shirt pulling inside the box, in a new Premier League directive this season, but FIFA make the rules clear on when a penalty should be awarded.

According to FIFA's Laws of the Game, rule 12: "Direct and indirect free kicks and penalty kicks can only be awarded for offences and infringements committed when the ball is in play."