Former refs chief Keith Hackett says Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah should've been booked for diving in victory over Crystal Palace.

Writing for the Irish Independent, Hackett declared: "Mohamed Salah is one of the best players in the Premier League - a wonderfully gifted goalscorer whose efforts could well end his club's long wait for a title.

"But there is a less-savoury side to his game which is in danger of spoiling his reputation: the tendency to drop to the ground at the slightest of contacts in the penalty area.

"There have been some close calls in recent weeks, with Salah earning penalties against Newcastle and Brighton, but against Crystal Palace on Saturday there was no doubt that he dived after Mamadou Sakho flicked out a leg in the box.

"Regardless of whether there was a tiny bit of contact, one of the factors in determining an act of simulation is the exaggeration in the reaction, and nobody would dispute that Salah's fall - and the delay that preceded it - was out of proportion to whatever contact there might have been.

"He should certainly have been booked for simulation, and I'm disappointed that referee Jon Moss failed to take action."