Liverpool were not awarded a penalty against Arsenal despite Martin Odegaard appearing to grab the ball because the midfielder's arm was moving towards his body
The Gunners had taken an early lead thanks to Gabriel's brilliant header in the top of the table clash on Saturday evening. But the visitors were breathing a sigh of relief 20 minutes in when Odegaard just avoided giving away a spot-kick.
The Arsenal skipper was standing in the penalty area when the ball was played through, with the Norwegian turning as it went past him. But Odegaard appeared to grab at the ball as he turned, sparking demands for a penalty from Liverpool.
The midfielder had slipped though, with the handball coming as he reached out to steady himself. Referee Chris Kavanagh waved away the calls for a penalty, with Arsenal themselves breaking forwards straight away.
As they did so, VAR official David Coote checked the incident, quickly confirming Kavanagh's call to not award a spot-kick. According to Sky Sports, the PGMOL stated a penalty was not awarded because "Odegaard's arm is moving towards the body and not the ball as he goes down."
When a replay of the incident was shown on Sky Sports, Manchester United legend Gary Neville pinpointed the slip as the crucial reason. Neville said: "I think he may just slip there. That right leg is giving way which means his left arm goes down. I think that's what saves him.""I think he's lucky but it might be that his foot gives way which means he puts his arm down to try and rebalance and that saves him. Because he slips, his hand goes back at the same time as a counter balance."
Not everybody agreed with that decision though, with Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher insisting Odegaard was lucky. He said: "I think that's a penalty. I think he's fortunate Odegaard. There may be something in the slip, but I think tht's a penalty."
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