Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty during their 1-0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal after defender Jurrien Timber pulled Alexander Isak’s shirt inside the penalty area, the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has ruled.
The independent panel reached the conclusion following a review of the controversial incident in the 21st minute of the November 1 encounter at Anfield.
Isak was attempting to connect with a cross from Bradley Barcola when Timber grabbed his shirt, preventing the Liverpool forward from reaching the ball.
Referee Andy Madley allowed play to continue, while Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Stuart Attwell reviewed the incident but did not recommend an on-field review.
However, in its assessment published on Wednesday, November 11, the KMI Panel voted 4-1 that Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty for Timber’s holding offence.
A separate 3-2 majority also concluded that VAR should have intervened and recommended that Madley review the incident on the pitchside monitor, describing the original decision as a clear and obvious error.
The panel noted that one member considered the holding to have been too brief to significantly affect Isak’s ability to progress, while two others argued that the subjective nature of assessing its impact meant the incident did not meet the high threshold for VAR intervention.
The panel unanimously agreed, however, that Timber’s action did not constitute a red-card offence for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Arsenal were already leading 1-0 through Kai Havertz’s goal when the incident occurred, and the strike ultimately secured all three points for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Following the match, Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola criticised the decision, arguing that Isak had been prevented from reaching the cross because of Timber’s shirt pull.
He also suggested that players were sometimes forced to go to ground to attract the attention of match officials and win penalties.
The KMI Panel also identified another VAR error during the October 31 Championship fixture between Ipswich Town and Hull City.
The panel ruled that Ipswich should have received a penalty after Hull defender Nobel Mendy held back Dara O’Shea during a corner-kick situation.
Referee Peter Bankes failed to award the spot-kick, while VAR official Neil Davies did not recommend an intervention.
The incident occurred when the match was still goalless. Ipswich subsequently scored, but Hull recovered to secure a 2-2 draw.
The latest assessment has renewed scrutiny of VAR decision-making and the interpretation of holding offences in English football, particularly when such incidents prevent attacking players from reaching the ball inside the penalty area.