Liverpool v Arsenal: VAR backs decision not to award Gakpo a penalty

Liverpool were denied a penalty during their Premier League meeting with Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday after Cody Gakpo went down inside the visitors’ area.

The incident came in the 29th minute of the ninth round of the Premier League, when Arsenal player Christos Tzolis placed his hands on Gakpo’s thighs. The Netherlands forward fell to the ground, prompting strong appeals from Liverpool’s players.

Referee Andy Madley waved play on and did not award a foul. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) then reviewed the incident, but upheld Madley’s decision and Liverpool were not given a spot-kick.

The decision generated considerable debate among analysts, with differing views over whether Tzolis’ intervention was sufficient to bring Gakpo down and whether the forward would have been able to reach the ball.

Laura Hunter, Sky Sports’ reporter at Anfield, said Tzolis had put himself in an awkward position but was helped by the circumstances of the attack.

“Tzolis was a little bit naive because he put himself in the wrong position,” she said. “The only thing that saved him was that Gakpo would not have been able to get to the ball behind the defenders, whether Tzolis had pulled him or not.”

Gary Neville, the Sky Sports analyst, also criticised the Arsenal player’s challenge while concluding that it did not warrant a penalty.

“Tzolis’ action was reckless, but I don’t think Gakpo would have been able to reach the ball because the defender was clearly ahead of him,” Neville said.

“I don’t think it was a foul. Gakpo knew he was not going to catch the ball, so he decided to go down.”

The appeal therefore ended without a penalty being awarded to Liverpool, despite the controversy it caused at Anfield and the contrasting assessments of Tzolis’ role in Gakpo’s fall.