Arsenal midfielder: 'That should have been a penalty for Liverpool'

Arsenal defender William Saliba admitted Liverpool deserved a penalty after Martin Odergaard handled the ball in the 1-1 draw in round 18 of the Premier League on December 23.

In the 18th minute, when Arsenal were leading 1-0, Mohamed Salah pushed the ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold's free kick. Odegaard rushed out to block, slipped and clearly pulled the ball with his hand inside the Arsenal penalty area. Referee Chris Kavanagh did not call a penalty and let the match continue. VAR referee David Coote also agreed with the on-field decision and did not intervene.

Asked if he thought it was a penalty for Liverpool, Saliba laughed and replied: "Of course, it was a penalty. But I'm not the referee. We have to accept the decision."

Odegaard (number 8, yellow) handled the ball in the penalty area in the first half of the match against Liverpool at Anfield on December 23. Screenshot — Odegaard (number 8, yellow) handled the ball in the penalty area in the first half of the match against Liverpool at Anfield on December 23. *Screenshot*

Sharing Saliba's view are former defenders Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville. On social network X, former Liverpool player Carragher wrote: "It was a penalty and the best player of the match knew it. Two clear penalties in two nights and VAR ignored them both."

According to the explanation of the English Refereeing Council (PGMOL), Liverpool was not awarded a penalty because Odegaard's arm was moving towards his body and not towards the ball when he slipped. The English Referee Council believes that Odegaard's raising his arm to balance his body and the arm moving towards his body is not considered a handball foul.

Carragher rated Saliba as the best player of the match, as the Arsenal defender was the most reliable stopper of the visitors' defense in the match at Anfield. The French midfielder recovered the ball six times, made two tackles, won three aerial duels and was also voted the best player by the tournament organizers.

Saliba (left) disputes with Nunez in the 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Liverpool in round 18 of the Premier League.

In the match between the two top teams at Anfield, Arsenal opened the scoring early thanks to center-back Gabriel Magalhaes. Liverpool equalized in the first half thanks to a moment of brilliance from Mohamed Salah. The two teams continued to trade blows in the second half, but failed to score any more goals and had to share the points.

The result was considered positive for Arsenal, although they could not win at Liverpool for the 11th consecutive year. Arteta's team maintained the top position in the Premier League with 40 points. Liverpool and Aston Villa were right behind with 39 points.

Vy Anh

Source link