SCOUSERS EVADE JUSTICE

The Football Association last night chose not to pursue disciplinary action against Steven Gerrard and Mohamed Sissoko.

The Liverpool players were accused of stamping in the 2-2 draw at Bolton on Monday. However, the incidents were seen by the referee Mark Clattenburg. An FA spokesman said: "The referee has confirmed that he saw both incidents."

Gerrard was expected to be exonerated after Bolton's Kevin Nolan accepted the boot in his ribs was planted accidentally. But replays appear to show that Sissoko deliberately stamped on El-Hadji Diouf.

Bolton's Sam Allardyce insisted that Gerrard and Sissoko should have been sent off. Liverpool's Rafael Benítez suggested the referee failed to spot instances of diving by Bolton players.

Clattenburg said: "I haven't seen the TV replays but I'll be sitting down to watch them in the next few days. Refereeing is all about learning. If certain things need to be looked at, then you look to see if you can learn for the future."

Referees are encouraged to review incidents in contentious circumstances but are discouraged by the FA from admitting to making a mistake when they are suspected of missing red card offences, after Fifa's intervention this season when Rob Styles said he should have dismissed Chelsea's Michael Essien for a bad challenge on Bolton's Tal Ben Haim. Essien escaped a charge when Fifa said that a game cannot be refereed twice and that Styles had booked the player.