Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool: Alan Pardew Accuses Christian Benteke of 'Dive'

Alan Pardew has accused Christian Benteke of diving in the final minute of Liverpool's visit to Crystal Palace, as the Anfield giants prevailed 2-1 from the resulting penalty.

Benteke was tripped by Damien Delaney deep into injury time in the penalty area, leading to the Anfield team's late winner.

The Eagles' official Twitter account quoted Pardew:

"

AP: If you feel that touch is enough to bring someone down like that... It's an issue that's worrying in the game.

— Crystal Palace FC (@CPFC) March 6, 2016"

Pardew was clearly upset during his post-match interview with Sky Sports, as shared on social media:

TV replays showed that Delaney made slight contact with Benteke's foot as the striker burst by the defender. The incident decided the match after Liverpool came back from a goal down to complete a vital victory.

Palace dominated for large periods of the match as Liverpool subjected their fans to a poor performance.

The Eagles took the lead shortly after the restart of the second half, with Joe Ledley finding the corner of the net as the visitors failed to deal with a set piece.

Liverpool midfielder James Milner then saw red for a second bookable offence, as Jurgen Klopp's team looked certain to be beaten.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

However, a dramatic comeback played out as Roberto Firmino grabbed an equaliser, leaving Benteke to coolly slot away his penalty with the last kick of the game.

The contact between Benteke and Delaney was slight, but the momentum of the striker enforced his tumble as the defender clipped him.

Pardew's disappointment and anger were directed at the TV cameras, but his overall feeling will be Palace threw away a match they had under their control. 

The Eagles have made a bad habit of not collecting points in 2016, and Pardew will know they only have themselves to blame for not comfortably defeating their visitors with a man advantage on Sunday.