According to the panel’s findings released on Wednesday, four of the five members agreed that referee Andy Madley should have awarded Liverpool a spot-kick for the incident, which occurred in the 21st minute of the November 1 encounter at Enfield.
Isak was attempting to connect with a cross from Bradley Barcola when Timber grabbed his shirt, preventing the Liverpool forward from making a clean attempt to reach the ball.
Madley allowed play to continue, while video assistant referee Stuart Attwell did not recommend an on-field review.
The review panel also voted 3-2 that VAR should have intervened and asked Madley to assess the incident on the pitch side monitor, concluding that the failure to award a penalty constituted a clear and obvious error.
The panel, however, unanimously agreed that Timber’s challenge did not warrant a red card for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity.
Arsenal went on to secure a 1-0 victory, with Kai Havertz scoring the decisive goal. The result left Liverpool without points from the encounter despite the disputed penalty decision.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola criticized the officiating after the match, arguing that Isak had been prevented from reaching the ball because of the shirt pull. He also suggested that players risk missing penalty decisions when they remain on their feet after being fouled.
According to the Premier League's match incident review process, the five-member KMI Panel examines significant refereeing decisions and assesses whether officials and VAR made the correct calls.
The ruling adds to ongoing discussions about how referees should handle shirt-pulling and holding offences, particularly when such actions affect a player's ability to challenge for the ball.
The panel's finding does not change the result of the match, meaning Arsenal retain the 1-0 victory over Liverpool.
Sources: Reuters — Liverpool should have been given penalty against Arsenal, review panel says .Sky Sports — Independent panel rules Liverpool were incorrectly denied penalty .Press Association — Liverpool should have had penalty for shirt-pull on Alexander Isak .sourceshttps://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CBaNrcpSC/
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