It’s been a week of controversial refereeing decisions, and Arsenal fans have found themselves irritated once again by an incident in the Premier League.
Gunners supporters were fuming over Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card against Wolves last week, with the defender sent off for a cynical trip on Matt Doherty.
The decision was eventually rescinded, but the fire had already been sparked by Michael Oliver’s egregious initial call.
Another contentious decision appears to have gone against Arsenal now, with Premier League title rivals Liverpool awarded a soft penalty against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
How Arsenal fans reacted to Liverpool’s penalty vs Bournemouth
With the game at the Vitality Stadium poised at 0-0, Liverpool were awarded a penalty for a trip on Cody Gakpo inside Bournemouth’s box.
The Dutchman was played in by Andy Robertson, and fell to the ground after Lewis Cook was adjudged to have fouled the Liverpool winger.
Darren England pointed to the spot, and Mohammed Salah subsequently converted to give the Reds the lead.
Replays suggest that Gakpo may have tripped himself, with his left leg colliding with his right, which ultimately caused him to lose his balance.
Arsenal fans were quick to vent their frustrations over the decision from England.
One fan posted on X: “Imagine being able to trip over your own feet and get a penalty. Liverpool fans can’t ever moan.”
Another added: “Everything’s just going Liverpool’s way, laughable penalty given to them.”
Another Arsenal fan was stunned by the decision, writing: “You need to see the penalty award for Liverpool. My word.”
One Gunners supported joked that an Arsenal player would be carded for simulation if they’d replicated Gakpo’s movement.
They wrote: “If that’s an Arsenal player he gets booked for diving.”
Meanwhile, a Liverpool fan admitted that the decision was unjust, posting: “This isn’t a penalty, Gakpo tripped himself. And I’m a Liverpool fan.”
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Arsenal fans are correct to be frustrated with Liverpool penalty
Micah Richards lamented the decision to send Lewis-Skelly off last week, claiming that it was the worst decision he’s ever seen.
This, combined with three other dubious red cards given against Arsenal this season, is contributing to the Gunners feeling like they’ve bad hard done by this term.
This Gakpo decision certainly won’t alleviate these feelings, with Liverpool getting the rub of the green in a tight game.
While there is contact from Cook, it’s minimal and Gakpo’s fall is initiated by his own legs colliding as he’s running to collect the ball.
At the very least, it’s soft, and a thorough VAR review should’ve been conducted before reaching a conclusion.
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