Mark Clattenburg explains why Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk avoided penalty vs Bayer Leverkusen

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg believes Virgil van Dijk rightly escaped unpunished after in the Champions League at Anfield.

The German champions bossing possession without posing much of a threat to the Liverpool goal. But believed they should have had a penalty inside 24 minutes when Van Dijk's Netherlands teammate Frimpong went down in the box as he lined up a shot.

His leg was clipped by , but the appeal was waved away by referee Danny Makkelie. The video assistant referee took a closer look and upheld the no-penalty call.

Clattenburg, who refereed the and Euros finals in 2016, was part of the Amazon Prime Video commentary crew, and he said the right decision was made because Frimpong hesitated before hitting the deck.

"It was his first big decision," Clattenburg said on Amazon Prime. "Virgil van Dijk does make contact with his shin but then he goes one or two more steps forward before he goes down. That is why the VAR hasn't got involved."

Former Reds defender Stephen Warnock believes the captain got away with one. He said on commentary for BBC Radio 5 Live: "I think Virgil van Dijk is lucky here.

"Jeremie Frimpong gets across him and van Dijk commits to it, kicking his leg and tangling with him. Whether Frimpong goes down a bit too easy is another thing."

Ex-Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer disagreed. He said on Amazon Prime Video: "He goes to challenge him and then pulls out. It's the correct decision, not a penalty for me."

The first half ended goalless at Anfield, with neither side making a significant impression in the final third, although the Reds had a huge scare when Frimpong found the back of the net in the 43rd minute, only to have it ruled out for a handball in the build up.

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot will doubtless be demanding more attacking intensity and guile from his players after the interval.

Liverpool started the evening in second place in the league phase standings, trailing only Premier League rivals Aston Villa after winning the opening three games of the competition. Victory over the German champions would go a long way to securing safe passage to the the knockout stages automatically.