The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has officially acknowledged a significant refereeing error in the November 1 match between Liverpool and Arsenal, ruling that the home side should have been awarded a penalty. The decision follows a review of an incident in which Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber pulled the shirt of Liverpool striker Alexander Isak, preventing him from connecting with a cross.
During the 21st minute of the encounter at Anfield, Isak attempted to reach a cross from Bradley Barcola but was impeded by Timber’s shirt pull. On the day, referee Andy Madley allowed play to continue, and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Stuart Attwell reviewed the incident but did not recommend an on-field review. The KMI Panel subsequently voted 4-1 that a penalty should have been awarded, while a separate 3-2 majority concluded that VAR should have intervened to prompt Madley to review the footage on the pitchside monitor.
The panel’s majority concluded that the decision not to award a penalty was a clear and obvious error.
Despite the ruling, two panel members argued that the subjective nature of assessing the impact of the shirt pull justified VAR’s initial decision not to intervene. The panel unanimously agreed, however, that Timber’s challenge did not constitute a red-card offence for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. At the time of the incident, Arsenal were leading 1-0 through a goal by Kai Havertz and ultimately secured all three points in the match.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola had criticized the decision immediately after the game, arguing that the shirt pull prevented Isak from reaching the ball. He further suggested that players are increasingly forced to go to ground to convince referees to award penalties. The KMI Panel also identified a separate VAR error in a Championship match between Ipswich Town and Hull City on October 31, ruling that Ipswich should have been awarded a penalty after Nobel Mendy held back Dara O’Shea during a corner-kick situation.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
