Cody Gakpo's penalty appeal for Liverpool against Brentford was rejected by referee Simon Hooper, a decision that was upheld by VAR. The incident occurred in the first half at the Gtech Community Stadium, with Liverpool trailing 2-0 at the time.
TNT Sports pundits Joe Cole and Steve McManaman both agreed with the referee's call. Cole stated: 'No, he goes down too easy. He doesn't quite get there, he goes down too easy. He's waiting for the contact - I think it's the right decision.' McManaman added: 'Yeah, I think so. As he puts his leg across, he doesn't stand on his foot and he's fallen over before the contact happens.'
The Premier League Match Centre confirmed on X: 'The referee's call of no penalty to Liverpool was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that there was no foul by Collins on Gakpo.'
Liverpool eventually lost 3-1, with Kevin Schade scoring twice for Brentford. The Reds now face a congested schedule, with seven games in 21 days, including clashes against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, and Real Madrid.
