Premier League champions Arsenal soared to the top of the table but their controversial escape against Liverpool reignited a debate over VAR and whether footballers are being punished for staying on their feet.
Arsenal celebrated their first Premier League win away to Liverpool since 2012 thanks to their 1-0 victory at Anfield on Monday (AEDT), but a contentious first-half penalty decision involving Jurrien Timber and Alexander Isak has made the headlines.
With Liverpool trailing to Kai Havertz’s early goal, Isak appeared poised to meet a delivery into the Arsenal penalty area before Timber pulled the Reds forward’s shirt.
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Referee Andy Madley allowed play to continue, with VAR checking the incident but declining to recommend an on-field review.
The decision sparked widespread criticism, including from former Premier League referee Mark Halsey, who insisted Liverpool had been denied a clear penalty.
“The one we saw with Jurrien Timber, when he clearly pulled the shirt of Alexander Isak, is a clear penalty for me,” Halsey wrote for The Sun.
“And I just don’t understand how VAR cleared that and didn’t recommend a review to referee Andy Madley.
“If Timber doesn’t pull Isak’s shirt, the Liverpool striker is getting to the ball.
“I was just amazed that VAR never got involved in that incident.”
But the controversy extended beyond whether Arsenal should have conceded a penalty.
Did Isak pay the price for staying on his feet?
The no-penalty decision raised an increasingly uncomfortable question: would Isak have been awarded the spot-kick had he exaggerated the contact and fallen to the ground?
Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge suggested that was precisely the problem.
“If he makes more of it, it’s a penalty. I don’t think he makes enough of it,” Sturridge said during Sky Sports’ coverage. “It’s clear and blatant.”
Even Arsenal legend Ian Wright admitted his former club had escaped punishment.
“He shouldn’t have to make more of it. We can see it,” Wright said. “As an Arsenal man, I’m glad we got away with it.”
Liverpool great Jamie Carragher was furious with the decision.
“One of the best goalscorers in the league is pulled back seven yards out and it stops him heading the ball – why does he need to make a meal of it?” Carragher said.
“VAR do your job.”
Carragher’s Sky Sports counterpart and Manchester United legend Gary Neville added: “The guys at half-time said Isak should not have to make more of it [his penalty shout in the first half].
“It’s actually unnatural not to make more of it. When you get pulled and you’re just about to score, you ordinarily complain like crazy. It’s a very odd reaction from Isak.”
The frustration was shared by Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola, who delivered a remarkable assessment of the incident.
“The Alex one is a clear penalty. You hold the shirt, we can all see that he holds the shirt,” Iraola said.
“Because he doesn’t go to the floor, you are not going to call the penalty. I don’t understand it.”
Asked whether Isak should have gone to ground, Iraola suggested the decision exposed a fundamental problem with how penalties are awarded.
“That’s the problem we have with the game,” he said.
“Because he doesn’t dive and go to the floor. The fact that you are even asking me if he should go to the floor, if he goes to the floor, they call the penalty 100%.”
The Liverpool boss even suggested he would tell Isak to go down in similar circumstances in the future.
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