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Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino claims referee Phil Dowd's decision to award Liverpool a second-half penalty was 'soft'.
Spurs suffered a 3-0 home drubbing at the hands of Liverpool - their third handsome loss to the Reds in as many seasons - and Pochettino felt the game pivoted on Dowd's decision just after the break.
Tottenham were trailing 1-0 when Eric Dier was adjudged to have fouled Joe Allen inside the 18-yard box, allowing Steven Gerrard to convert a typically nerveless spot-kick to double the advantage.
Pochettino, who had enjoyed a perfect start to life at White Hart Lane before Sunday's defeat, felt the decision was harsh on his troops as they set out to try and showcase a renewed mettle against one of the league's bigger clubs.
“A soft penalty changed the game,” he told talkSPORT.
Tottenham v Liverpool - player ratings
“It was a very soft penalty and it was key."
The Argentine later admitted he realised the game was beyond his side when Gerrard rolled his penalty into Hugo Lloris's bottom corner.
He added: “After the penalty we were 2-0 down and Liverpool have some very good players."
