Well it's pretty obvious from the replays that David Ngog cheated by diving to get Liverpool a penalty from which they equalised on Monday night against Birmingham. Referee Peter Walton was well positioned, about 15 yards behind Ngog, who had burst into the Brum penalty area at high speed.
Just then Lee Carsley chose to slide in to try and get the ball off Ngog. Carsley missed everything; ball and player alike, but his actions gave Ngog just the opportunity he needed to practise his diving skills. Walton might have been helped if he had studied the recent research which showed that players who fling their arms up in the air - dying Swan-style - are generally cheating as it's an unnatural thing to do.
Carsley was daft. Going to ground in the penalty area dramatically increases the odds of giving a penalty away and as a seasoned pro he should have known that. Ngog appeared to have lost control of the ball as well.
But the bottom line is that Ngog cheated, just like so many other players. Players are now so skilled at cheating the refs often can't detect it. I guess, he thought wearily, that a retrospective decision by the FA might have some effect.
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