There were a number of controversial refereeing decisions in Arsenal’s draw with Liverpool on Saturday, but one has perhaps gone under the radar.
Martin Odegaard has been branded as “fortunate” to not have given away a penalty for a handball, as VAR did not overturn referee Chris Kavanagh’s decision, but Arsenal themselves also had a fair shout for a penalty.
Kai Havertz went down in the box in the second half after an apparent push by Trent Alexander-Arnold, but no foul was given, and he eventually returned to his feet to fire a shot wide.
Little was made of the incident in the post-game reaction, with most of the focus on the decision surrounding Odegaard’s handball, but Arsenal may have a right to feel frustrated over Havertz’s fall.
Was Kai Havertz fouled by Trent Alexander-Arnold?
Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live during the game, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock claimed that Arsenal certainly had a case for a penalty.
“I have seen them given. It’s a very strange challenge from Trent Alexander-Arnold because he almost pushes Havertz in the back,” he stated.
“He goes down and I think it is quite clumsy that challenge from Alexander-Arnold.”
Havertz went to the ground after battling the England defender for the ball, but despite protests from Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah, no penalty was awarded, and Arsenal quickly won the ball back before the German then sent his resulting shot wide.
Referee decisions in Arsenal vs Liverpool
On balance, whilst Havertz had a case for a penalty, Liverpool also did have a case for a penalty from Odegaard’s handball, and the decisions may have equalled out in the eyes of some fans.
Both clubs have had problems with referee organisation PGMOL this season. Liverpool had a goal wrongly disallowed in a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, whilst Arsenal faced several controversial decisions in their defeat to Newcastle.
Mikel Arteta has called for improvements from PGMOL and Premier League referees, and whilst Kavanagh did arguably make the wrong call on two key decisions, the result of the match was a fair one in what was a very evenly contested game.
Both Arsenal and Liverpool find themselves in a title race, and given the potential for a very close finish with Manchester City, fine margins will play a huge part by the end of the season.
Both the top two sides have found themselves on the wrong end of referee and VAR decisions this season, but in the case of this game, they might both accept the decisions given they each could have given away a penalty.
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