Pundits are divided over the Alexander Isak non-penalty incident during Liverpool's home defeat to Arsenal. The Reds striker's shirt was pulled by Jurrien Timber as he leapt to reach a cross into the box during the first half of the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Isak did not go to ground and referee Andy Madley gave nothing, while VAR Stuart Attwell saw no reason to overturn the decision. After the match, Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola said he will urge his players to dive in future.
Manager's reaction
The Spaniard said: "It's a shame you ask me this question, but honestly, yes, we have to tell them, go down, because they're not going to call it otherwise."
"And then referees complain why they go down. Because if you don't go down, you don't call it. Then it's like, no, you are all the time going down. But I think Alex is honest. He tries to go for the ball, everyone can see live straight away there is a clear, clear pull."
Mixed views from pundits
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy felt Arsenal "got lucky." Speaking on Match of the Day, he said: "If Isak maybe makes a bit more of it. I hate to see players exaggerate, but he's going to score. It's a big moment in the game."
"I feel for the referee because it happened so quickly. I thought there was enough for VAR to have another look and give him another look. If he made more of it, maybe they would have given it on-field."
Gary Neville said he found Isak's reaction "odd" on Sky Sports commentary. He said: "The argument around Isak and whether he should have made more of it... it's unnatural not to make more of it."
"When you get pulled and you're just about to score a goal, you normally complain like crazy. It's a very odd reaction from Isak not to react."
Carragher and Wright disagree
Jamie Carragher disagreed, insisting Isak should not have to hit the deck to get a penalty. He said: "One of the best goalscorers in the league is pulled back seven yards out and it stops him heading the ball - why does he need to make a meal of it? VAR, do your job."
Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright agreed with Carragher, saying: "He shouldn't have to make more of it, we can see it. Unless I'm pulled back, I'm going to head it as much as I can."
"When he pulled him, it was just about enough as he would need to go down. VAR is wrong in this instance. If they gave that penalty, I wouldn't sit here and say, 'I can't believe they gave that.'"
Further reactions
Ex-Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge was surprised by Isak's muted reaction, but insisted he shouldn't have had to make a meal of it to get the spot-kick. He said on Sky Sports: "Unfortunately, he has not fallen over. You're supposed to fall over, put your arms in the air and show the referee you're mad about it."
"To me, his reaction is almost like, 'VAR, do your job.' But they've not done their job. He shouldn't have to make more of it. Clearly, he shouldn't. Everyone can see that his arm is stretched, he [Timber] is holding him with a stretched-out arm."
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jeff Stelling claimed the incident was a 'dereliction of duty' from VAR. "Look, I don't blame the referee for not seeing it," he said. "There's no discussion over whether it was a penalty or not as it clearly should have been. It's a dereliction of duty from the VAR."
Ally McCoist responded to Stelling by saying he thought it was 'clearly a penalty'. "I thought the referee had a good game, he can't see everything, and that's where he needs help from his VAR," he said. "We're criticising people for going down too easily, want them to stay on their feet."
"Isak has clearly wanted to get a head on the ball, so he's doing everything he can to stay on his feet. Just because he does that, he has fallen victim to the penalty not being given."
"Whether he falls down or not has nothing to do with whether it's a penalty because it's clearly a penalty. I thought it was a really poor decision from the VAR team."
