Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has slammed VAR after the decision not to award Liverpool a penalty against Ipswich in the Premier League when Cody Gakpo was taken out
Premier League referee Darren England.
Premier League referee Darren England.(Image: Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Former Premier League referees chief Keith Hackett was left baffled by the VAR's failure to intervene and award Liverpool a penalty during the first half of the Reds' 2-0 win at Ipswich.
With Andoni Iraola's side already two goals ahead, Abdul Fatawu cleared out Cody Gakpo, but referee Darren England had already looked away, with the ball long gone. However, the missed foul was not spotted on replays either, with Liverpool able to see out the result regardless for Iraola's first three points since he replaced Arne Slot as head coach this summer.
"This is a nailed-on penalty kick decision," Hackett told Football Insider. "The Ipswich player is so late with his foul challenge that I cannot believe that the referee has not pointed to the penalty mark.
"I understand that the PROref organization wants to see less interference by VAR.
"However, this non-award of a penalty kick by the referee meets the criteria for a clear and obvious error. VAR should have intervened."
Despite the penalty non-call, the scoreline, and Liverpool's relative comfort in the second half, Ipswich manager Gary O'Neil claimed that his side was the better of the two teams.
IPSWICH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 04: Cody Gakpo of Liverpool runs with the ball under pressure from Jacob Greaves of Ipswich Town during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Ipswich Town and Liverpool FC at Portman Road on September 04, 2026 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Cody Gakpo impressed again in Liverpool's win over Ipswich(Image: Getty Images)
"Proud of the group," O'Neil told Sky Sports at the final whistle. "I thought we were excellent.
"Two mistakes in the first 10 minutes made it very difficult, but I think we were probably the better side for large parts after that. More shots and some really good chances.
"Obviously, the mistakes were big; we were punished heavily by world-class players, but then an excellent response and we gave it our best, which the fans appreciated, as you could see from their reaction at the end.
"But we are here for points, so next week we have to make sure we take some.
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"There were no issues out there for us tactically. Similar to Manchester United, but at Manchester United we lost our way and moved away from the game plan.
"Today the lads were able to get straight back down to business. Second half especially, I thought we were excellent with the ball and cut through them many times.
"We didn't quite find that moment of quality to get us back in it, but of course, this is one of the most extreme tests, and we came up a little short in terms of points."