Following a Saturday of controversial decisions, the most recent one came at the Gtech Community Stadium, as Liverpool were denied a penalty just moments before they conceded to go 2-0 down. With fans in disbelief, the Premier League has revealed exactly why the collision was brushed aside.
It was just one game prior to Liverpool’s that saw Manchester United given a goal, despite a seemingly blatant Luke Shaw foul. With an ex-Premier League referee coming out to discuss the scenario, another calamitous moment was witnessed by football fans, this time in the game between Arne Slot’s Reds and Brentford.
Having gone 1-0 in the sixth minute, it seemed Liverpool were destined to achieve their fourth successive Premier League defeat. With Keith Andrews’ side’s lead doubled on the stroke of half-time, it was a moment grounded in controversy.
With Liverpool clamouring for a penalty owing to a collision between Brentford captain Nathan Collins and Cody Gakpo, the real reason the referee and VAR didn’t give a foul has been revealed, and it won’t please fans of the Merseyside Reds.
Premier League Reveal Reason for Not Allowing Penalty in Brentford vs. Liverpool
Premier League fans have found it hard to keep track of the rules regarding penalties, with each decision seemingly contradicting the last. With each side falling victim to questionable decisions, the most recent side to experience it is Arne Slot’s.
Wanting to equal the scoring before half-time, things went from bad to worse as 1-0 soon became 2-0. Although a Milos Kerkez effort in the 45+5′ minute helped ease the tension going into the second half. However, many believe it should never have been a 2-0 lead, as just seconds prior, Collins seemingly collided with Gakpo in the penalty box.
The Irish international quite clearly didn’t make contact with the ball, with the debate centring around whether he made contact with Gakpo. With numerous replays continuing to reveal an inconclusive answer, the Premier League has revealed on X, via their Premier League Match Centre account, just why the decision was not to give a penalty.
“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.”
With the phrase ‘clear and obvious’ often being bandied about, and many complaints about Premier League games being re-refereed, it seems the VAR agreed with the on-field decision from Simon Hooper that no foul was committed. A judgement that many Liverpool fans will disagree with, many will feel angered at the vague reasoning around the decision and as to how they got their conclusion.
