Liverpool Denied Clear Penalty Against Arsenal, VAR Error Confirmed
Liverpool were denied a penalty they should have had against Arsenal at Anfield, according to the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel – and the verdict lands squarely on the shoulders of both the on-field referee and VAR.
Panel: Clear penalty, VAR should have stepped in
The flashpoint came in the 21st minute on 1 November. Bradley Barcola whipped in a cross, Alexander Isak darted across the near post, and Jurrien Timber never let him go. Television replays showed Timber grabbing a handful of Isak’s shirt as the Liverpool forward tried to attack the ball, disrupting his movement just as it arrived.
Referee Andy Madley waved play on. VAR Stuart Attwell checked it and stuck with the on-field decision. No penalty.
The KMI Panel has now ruled that was the wrong outcome. By a 4–1 majority, it decided a spot-kick should have been awarded on the field. On whether VAR should have intervened and sent Madley to the monitor, the panel split 3–2, but again the majority view was damning: this was a “clear and obvious error” that should have been corrected.
At the time of the incident, Arsenal were 1-0 up through Kai Havertz. That goal would ultimately decide the game. The panel also unanimously agreed that Timber’s foul, while worthy of a penalty, did not reach the threshold for a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Isak stayed on his feet throughout the tussle. That, in the eyes of his manager, told its own story.
Iraola’s frustration: “The answer is you have to dive”
Speaking after the match, Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola did not hide his anger when he spoke to BBC Match of the Day.
“There is a clear grab of the shirt,” he said. “Alex was just in front of him. He was going to head in front of the goal, but couldn't because he grabbed the shirt.
“If he goes to the floor, they call the penalty, 100%. It should be like this, but it is what it is.
“Next time, the managers should tell Alex to go to the floor, otherwise they won't call it.
“The answer is you have to dive. If you don't dive they won't call it.”
Two members of the KMI Panel referenced the “subjectivity in assessing impact” as their reason for not demanding VAR intervention, but they were outvoted. The majority felt the tug on Isak’s shirt was decisive enough, and obvious enough, to require Attwell to step in.
The incident feeds straight into the wider debate Iraola touched on: honesty versus pragmatism in the penalty area, and whether staying upright is now a tactical mistake.
Second VAR error flagged in Ipswich–Hull draw
The panel did not stop at Anfield. It also highlighted a second VAR mistake from the previous day, this time in the Championship clash between Ipswich and Hull City on 31 October.
At 0-0, Ipswich defender Dara O’Shea tried to attack a corner and was held back by Nobel Mendy. Referee Peter Bankes missed the holding, and VAR Neil Davies did not intervene.
Again, the KMI Panel ruled a penalty should have been awarded to Ipswich. The hosts took the lead shortly afterwards anyway, but Hull fought back and the game finished 2-2.
Two games. Two penalties that should have been given. Two VAR teams that stayed silent.
For a system designed to correct the big mistakes, those are the kind of calls that will keep the scrutiny unrelenting as the season grinds on.
