Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has questioned his side’s decision not to award a penalty in their 1-0 loss to Arsenal, insisting Alexander Isak did not need a bigger appeal to attract the referee’s attention.
The Reds suffered a disappointing home defeat at Anfield, with Kay Havertz scoring the decisive goal for Mikel Arteta’s side. However, the most talked about moment after the game was the controversial incident involving Isak and Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber.
Virgil van Dijk questions VAR decision against Liverpool
Liverpool believed they should have been awarded a penalty after Timber appeared to pull Isak’s shirt inside the box as the striker attempted a dangerous pass into the box.
Despite protests over the incident, referee Andy Madley allowed play to continue, with VAR official Stuart Attwell deciding not to recommend a review.
Speaking after the match, Van Dijk expressed his disappointment, believing that the incident was clearly a foul.
The Liverpool captain was particularly unhappy with suggestions that Isak was making more contact to convince the officials.
He pointed out that modern football has multiple camera angles to review incidents, questioning why players have to exaggerate contact before making decisions in their favour.
Van Dijk also admitted he shared the disappointment of Liverpool supporters after picking up a yellow card in the closing stages of the competition.
He said: “I think it was a clear penalty as well. I’ve seen it in the past. I’ve seen it given on other occasions but it wasn’t like that today.”
“Can’t see? There are 50 cameras, if not more. Why should you complain when there are so many?” Van Dijk rightly pointed out. Stained, isn’t it? Because everyone has seen it. But yeah, in the end, obviously, it wasn’t given and unfortunately we lost the game.
Liverpool must improve despite the refereeing controversy
However, the Dutch defender admitted that Liverpool were not clinical enough in front of goal.
The Reds registered 17 tries but failed to hit a single shot on target, highlighting their struggles in the final third.
Arsenal defended resolutely to secure a valuable win, Havers’ first-half strike proving decisive.
While the penalty controversy has been the subject of much debate, Liverpool must improve their attacking effectiveness if they are to consistently compete for major prizes this season.