Jordan Henderson admits he was correctly booked for simulation during Liverpool's Carling Cup win at Exeter but insists he did not cheat.
Henderson went down inside the box in the second half, with referee Tony Bates waving away penalty appeals before brandishing the yellow card.
"I think the referee got it right, to be fair," Henderson told the Daily Mirror. "I probably over-ran it, and although I didn't cheat or dive, I did go down far too easily. So I think it was a fair call."
Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners, with goals from Luis Suarez, Maxi Rodriguez and Andy Carroll, with Henderson playing 90 minutes in a strong side named by manager Kenny Dalglish.
And the former Sunderland midfielder believes Dalglish showed respect to their opponents and the Carling Cup, while managers have been quick to criticize the competition.
He said: "I thought I worked hard against Exeter, and I feel a lot fitter - hopefully I can keep building on my performances and keep improving.
"There were lots of positives to come out of the game. We avoided the banana skin, we put a strong team out and gave both the Carling Cup and Exeter the respect they deserve.
"It's up to other managers to say whether [the Carling Cup] matters to them or not, but we definitely care. It's an opportunity to go to Wembley, to win a trophy and to play in Europe.
"That's what Liverpool want, and that's why I signed for the club - because they want to win trophies and finish as high as they can.
"Four points from two Premier League games, and an away win in the Carling Cup, is a good start, but we need to keep building and keep pushing.
"I think we're playing some good football at times. There's still some improving we need to do with the team and we need to gel better, but defensively we've improved, and if we continue to do that it's looking good."
Henderson was delighted to see former Newcastle striker Carroll get off the mark for the season and, following the Magpies' 1-0 win at Sunderland last weekend, he revealed the pair have not forgotten their roots.
Henderson said: "There was a bit of banter between Andy and myself about the Tyne-Wear derby result last weekend, but the most important thing is that we got a good result at Arsenal.
"Now he's up and running, I'm sure it will be the first of many this season. His goal at Exeter was a great finish."
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