Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was left pulling his hair out over one Champions League rule following Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night. The Gunners will take that scoreline back to the Emirates Stadium next week for the second leg, where they will be confident of reaching their first major European final since 2006.
However, Carragher - like many others - felt Mikel Arteta’s side should be much closer to ending their wait for a first-ever European trophy after a number of refereeing decisions went against them at the Wanda Metropolitano. Steven Gerrard and Ally McCoist raged over the decision to overturn Eberechi Eze’s late penalty call, while Ian Wright also voiced his frustration.
But it was another decision made by Danny Makkelie, much earlier in the second half, that caught the attention of Carragher, who was speaking alongside Thierry Henry, Micah Richards, and Kate Abdo in the CBS Sports Golazo studio.
steven gerrard Related
Atletico vs Arsenal: Gerrard and McCoist Share Conspiracy Theory Over Penalty Decision
Arsenal were denied a late penalty under the lights in Madrid after the referee was sent to the pitchside monitor.
Carragher Scrutinises UEFA Handball Rule After Atletico 1-1 Arsenal
Arsenal Atletico
Julian Alvarez was given a golden opportunity to cancel out Viktor Gyökeres’ first-half penalty with one of his own, which the former Manchester City striker took by the scruff of its neck. The chance came after a shot deflected off Ben White’s thigh and hit his arm on the way up.
Similar to the one that saw Alphonso Davies penalised in the other semi-final, it was given - much to Carragher’s grievance - as he raged (watch the full segment below):
"What's he supposed to do? He's falling down to try block a shot, it's winding me up. The thought of a Champions League final getting decided on that... I'm so wound up. Last night was such a good game that we forgot about the penalty decision, but we should be talking about this like we are now.
"I'm not having it. It's not right, it's not fair, I just think it's gone far too far. But don't get me wrong, as soon as I saw the incident, I knew it was going to be a penalty. This is the Champions League way of doing it. But if we go to Budapest, and someone wins the Champions League on one of these ridiculous handballs, it's a stain on the competition."
He continued: "The Champions League is the best competition in the world by a mile, the World Cup can't come close. No domestic competition can come close, but the only thing letting it down is this, where you just think this is ridiculous. You have the best players in the world, playing for the biggest trophy in club football, and something like that is going to decide a game."
Diego Simeone Related
Diego Simeone Furiously Confronts Arsenal Player Over His Actions vs Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone appeared to get into a heated row with an Arsenal player after their Champions League draw vs Atletico Madrid.
"Common Sense" is the Solution
Arsenal Atletico
Henry then asked Carragher if he had a solution to the ongoing issues around the Champions League's low-tolerance handball rule, to which the retired defender continued: "Common sense. I mean, come on. You know what, the first thing that would stop the two penalties we've seen over the last two nights, if the ball hits another part of your body, then hits your arms, it's not a penalty."
The conversation was constructive as opposed to a one-sided tirade in the end, as Henry then agreed with his colleague in that a deflection should rule out any chance of a handball leading to a penalty.