The FA will not be taking action against Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard over his clash with Portsmouth's Michael Brown.

It is understood the FA sought clarification from referee Stuart Attwell after Gerrard appeared to catch Brown with his forearm during the 4-1 win for Rafael Benitez's men at Anfield.

Attwell saw the incident at the time and spoke to Gerrard after awarding Pompey a free-kick, with the FA following guidelines not to punish players retrospectively if the match official sees the alleged offence.

Gerrard escaped punishment from the FA last week after apparently making a two-fingered gesture to referee Andre Marriner during Liverpool's 1-0 defeat away to Wigan.

Against Pompey, Benitez replaced his 29-year-old captain with Yossi Benayoun immediately after the incident with Brown, with victory a formality by that stage.