Crystal Palace vs Liverpool: Damien Delaney says linesman 'couldn't wait to give penalty' after Benteke 'dive'

Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney has accused striker Christian Benteke of diving to win the penalty that secured Liverpool a late 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park on Sunday, and claimed that assistant referee Scott Ledger “couldn’t wait to give” the decision that cost the home side a point.

Benteke was through on goal when Delaney slid towards the Belgium international in the sixth minute of injury-time, with replays showing that his right knee had clipped Benteke’s trailing foot before the substitute went tumbling to the floor.

Referee Andre Marriner elected to award a goal kick only for Ledger to interfere and inform his colleague that he should award a penalty, which Benteke dusted himself off for to convert and secure 10-man Liverpool a crucial three points in their late push for European qualification.

Palace manager Alan Pardew was incensed with the decision afterwards, and Delaney has echoed his comments to suggest Benteke has unfairly won the penalty by diving.

“He overran it, maybe, and just went down. I didn’t feel any contact, I was quite surprised but it is what it is,” Delaney told reporters after the match.

“It’s a big, big decision so late in the 96th minute, that’s a big call. The referee gave a goal kick and then it was only afterwards I saw people running towards the linesman. It is what it is, he's given it, [there’s] not much we can do, it sums us up at the minute.”

Delaney insisted that he did not feel any contact with Benteke, although replays suggested that he did catch the striker however minimal the contact was. The controversy comes in where the ball was heading though given that Benteke was running towards the byline, and that he appeared to go down to ground easily in a bid to exaggerate the contact.

“I didn’t feel any contact to be honest, I genuinely didn’t,” Delaney added. “I saw him go down, I looked around at the referee and he gave a goal kick and I thought that’s the correct decision. Someone said the linesman was flagging furiously. I mean, that’s a big call.”

The 34-year-old defender claimed that had the tackle been made near the halfway line, Benteke would have easily remained on his feet, but given the reward of a foul in the penalty area he chose to dive with just seconds remaining in the match.

“Yeah, of course,” he said about the location of the foul. “There’s no way that he [Ledger] could have been 100 per cent sure, he gave it so quick as well. The lads were watching afterwards, he’s flagging before he’s even hit the ground. It looks like he couldn’t wait to give it, looked like he wanted to give it, it just kind of sums us up at the moment.”

With Palace clearly feeling wronged by the decision – which leaves them nine points above the Premier League relegation zone in 15th position – Delaney called for a crackdown on diving, and believes that one of his team-mates in Wilfried Zaha has also been treated harshly in recent games when appealing for fouls.

“There’s been a few occasions in the last few games where Wilfried’s been involved in tussles, and this was a game-changing decision, especially in the 96th moment it’s pretty important,” he said. “I’d like to see a crackdown on it, I didn’t think it was a penalty at all. Benteke’s said he’d felt it or whatever, but it’s done now, there’s no point crying about it.”

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Delaney also rejected suggestions that Palace midfielder Joe Ledley – who scored the opening goal – was sent-off after the final whistle for his protests towards Marriner and Ledger.

“No, that’s incorrect, he didn’t,” confirmed Delaney.