Liverpool were wrongfully denied a penalty in their defeat against Arsenal.
The Premier League champions snatched a 1-0 victory to end a 14-year wait to win at Anfield earlier this month but the result was mired in controversial circumstances.
Andoni Iraola’s side could have levelled soon after Kai Havertz’s winning strike when Alexander Isak was pulled back by Jurrien Timber in the 21st minute of the game.
However referee Andy Madley refused to award a spot kick and was backed up by Stuart Attwell on VAR despite replays showing a clear shirt pull by Timber on Isak.
Iraola responded to the oversight by claiming that he would be instructing his Reds’ players to make the most of contact because ‘if you don’t dive they won’t call it’.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents panel has now ruled that the hosts should have been award a penalty for the flashpoint involving Isak and Timber.
A vote of 4-1 concluded that Madley’s decision was incorrect while the panel ruled 3-2 that Attwell should have sent the referee to the pitchside monitor.
The panel stated: “Referees will consider a number of factors when determining an offence, including whether a player is focused solely on an opponent rather than the ball, whether they make any attempt to play or challenge for the ball, if they are holding an opponent with both arms and if the holding is sustained or impactful to an opponent or their clothing.
“In this instance the panel deemed that Timber’s challenge on Isak met the threshold for a holding offence and should have resulted in a penalty kick, both on-field and through VAR intervention.”
It is the second time Liverpool have been on the receiving end of a wrongful penalty decision after one was awarded in August’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.
Morgan Gibbs-White put the visitors ahead after Alisson’s foul on Neco Williams despite the incident supposedly not meeting the threshold for an on-field review.
Although the panel at the time supported VAR Michael Oliver’s stance, they ruled against referee Sam Barrott’s original decision to award a penalty for the visitors.