January 17, (THEWILL) – Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer for the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL), has admitted that Liverpool, should have been awarded a penalty in their 1-1 draw, against Arsenal last month.
The incident occurred when Arsenal midfielder, Martin Odegaard, handled the ball in the box after losing his balance. The decision was reviewed by VAR but the on-field call stood.
However, speaking recently on Sky Sports’ Mic’d Up programme, Webb said: “The feedback we got afterwards was very clear, the game expects a penalty in this situation and I would agree. As such, this one did not reach the right outcome on that basis.”
At the time, the draw enabled Arsenal to remain top of the 2023/2024 English Premier League table heading into Christmas. However, they have since surrendered the lead to Liverpool after enduring a set of consecutive defeats.
Although Liverpool will have been happy with the three points, they recently knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup and lead the division by two points. Still, it highlights the difficult job facing referees and VAR officials in making split-second calls during high-pressure games.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
