Shirt pull on Isak should have been penalty - panel

What the report says

A Premier League Key Match Incidents Panel has said Liverpool should have been given a penalty against Arsenal for Jurrien Timber’s shirt pull on Alexander Isak during the sides’ match at Anfield on 1 November, according to BBC Sport Football. The incident came in the 21st minute, with referee Andy Madley not awarding a spot-kick and VAR Stuart Attwell allowing play to continue. Replays showed Timber grabbing Isak’s shirt as the Liverpool forward just missed the ball from a Bradley Barcola cross.

The panel voted 4-1 that the on-field decision should have been a penalty, and 3-2 that VAR should have intervened and sent the referee to the pitchside monitor. BBC Sport reported that the majority considered it a “clear and obvious error,” while two panellists felt the contact did not meet the threshold for VAR intervention because its impact was subjective. One member said the holding was brief and did not clearly affect Isak’s movement.

The ruling matters because Arsenal were already leading 1-0 through Kai Havertz at the time, and that goal remained the match-winner. The BBC report also noted a second VAR error identified by the panel from 31 October, when Ipswich were judged to have deserved a penalty against Hull City for holding at a corner in a game that finished 2-2.