Many Arsenal fans are still furious about one thing that referee Anthony Taylor did during the Gunners’ clash with Liverpool on Sunday.
Ultimately, this refereeing decision in the 97th minute of the match had no bearing on the final result, as Arsenal still ran out 3-1 winners at the Emirates Stadium.
However, the Gunners may have quite easily won the match by an even more emphatic scoreline, were it not for Taylor’s questionable intervention.
With just seconds left on the clock, Declan Rice played the ball through to Leandro Trossard, who would have been clean through on goal, with only Alisson Becker to beat. Given he had already gotten on the scoresheet by this point, few would have bet against the attacker doubling his tally for the match, especially from this advantageous position, where he was under no pressure from any Liverpool defenders. However, before the Belgian could bring the ball under his spell, Taylor blew his whistle to halt play.
At first glance, the reason for this intervention is not obvious. Trossard was not offside. It seems that Rice may have been penalised for the manner in which he won the ball, but it is not clear what the former West Ham United man is supposed to have done wrong.
Arsenal fans believe Anthony Taylor saved Liverpool
Arsenal have already had their run ins with referees this season, and Mikel Arteta may well feel aggrieved that his side were denied a clear goalscoring opportunity for no obvious reason. This is especially frustrating given that the presence of VAR means that Trossard could have been given the chance to score, and the goal could then have been retrospectively chalked off had the video footage revealed any kind of infraction.
Plenty of Arsenal fans feel that Liverpool were extremely unfortunate to have been spared further punishment by Taylor. Taking to X, one supporter said, “This was hilariously bad officiating btw, you always play advantage in that situation. Would’ve easily been 4-1, not that it mattered at this point but still laughable.”
Another fan claimed Taylor was “taking it easy on” Liverpool. Another supporter agreed, chipping with, “ref didn’t want pool to concede one more I guess.” One fans deemed it “Terrible refereeing but we knew that before the game.”
During the match, Taylor also drew criticism from Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
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